ISRI provided comments to the recent update to the FTC Green Guides in order to dispel confusion by manufacturers and consumers. The recycled materials industry works daily to recycle products and packaging that keep the supply chain moving. The industry also supports the clarity of claims and manufacturing product design for sustainability.
“ISRI is pleased to support the FTC’s review of the Green Guides to ensure that manufacturer’s recycling claims are accurate as well as urge them to design innovative products and packaging to be recycled at their end-of-life,” said ISRI chief lobbyist Billy Johnson. “Clarity is imperative as a growing number of consumers are making buying decisions about environmentally friendly products based on manufacturer’s claims.”
ISRI’s official comments support the Guides and their purpose of protecting consumers from environmental advertising and labeling claims. The Green Guides provide specific guidance regarding many common environmental claims. Ensuring that manufacturing claims are valid is critical because it is impossible for consumers to verify claims.
According to the FTC, the Green Guides were last updated in 2012. The recent update of the Guides makes it easier for companies to understand and use. The changes include new guidance on marketers’ use of product certifications and seals of approval, claims about materials and energy sources that are “renewable,” and “carbon offset” claims.