DDI - September 2010 - (Page 14)

14 | Greentailing Tightening the squeeze on green marketing claims ithin the next month, you may be revisiting your entire greenmarketing strategy. We all know too well that one of the many manifestations of the environmentalist movement is that labels and certifications have been proliferating like mad. Even if you’re savvy enough to know about LEED and FSC, there are dozens of lesser-known labels—but something dramatic is about to change the eco-label and green communication market. Today, on the desk of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the new set of so-called “Green Guides” that could make about 300 environmental seals useless and in possible violation of the new FTC standards. The Green Guides are the FTC’s primary tool for preventing consumer deception in the ever-expanding arena of environmental claims. With the flood of new eco-labels, this guide may be just what is needed to keep confusion from escalating around sustainability in the retail industry. These new standards will be used to enforce environmental marketing laws against unfair and deceptive advertising, and are the first environmental-marketing guidelines in 12 years, with the potential to radically reshape how far marketers, you and your company can go in painting products, packaging or even corporate images “green.” The standards were last updated in 1998, and this year’s version will clarify the legal parameters for environmental promises made to consumers and business clients. The guides are expected to tighten standards for packaging claims, such as “recyclable” or “biodegradable;” regulate how marketers use terms like “carbon neutral;” and specify how close to the source of carbon output “carbon offsets” must be executed. The guidelines may also define other terms, such as “sustainability,” or address “greenwashing” controversies, including how far companies can market themselves as green in advertising when they or their products also have a negative impact on the environment. As they stand today, the Green Guides provide no specific instructions for advertising building products. However, this is expected to be part of the update as well. During the course of 2008, the FTC held a series of workshops to obtain feedback from the public on ways to improve the Green Guides to address environmental marketing claims not yet covered by the guides. One of these workshops, held on July 15, 2008, specifically treated the topic of green building. The Green Guides aren’t new laws; rather, they’re an update of how the FTC will interpret its mandate to enforce longstanding laws against unfair and deceptive advertising. Still, the FTC will treat them like other new regulations, publishing them in the Federal Register and instituting a comment period before they become final. Enforcement of green claims by the FTC is growing in momentum. Today, the FTC has brought seven environmental advertising enforcement actions W under the Obama administration, compared to zero during the eight years of the Bush administration. For example, in June 2009, the FTC charged Kmart Corp., Tender Corp. and Dyna-E Intl. with making false and unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were “biodegradable.” The FTC also charged four companies—Sami Designs LLC, dba Jonäno; CSE Inc.; Mad Mod; Pure Bamboo LLC; and the M Group—for selling clothing marketed as made from bamboo with deceptive advertising and marketing claims. Persons, and corporate entities, who engage in any unfair or deceptive acts or practices in their marketing activities are subject to disciplinary action, which may include various forms of injunctive relief or civil monetary penalties. Therefore, the building industry must use caution when advertising. This is especially the case when a marketer claims that a product or material has particular environmental attributes or will provide special benefits to consumers, such as lower energy costs, or improve air quality and general health. In short, it is unclear what changes the FTC will make to the Green Guides relating to the marketing of building products and materials, but the forthcoming changes due by end of summer will be an important read for anyone looking to use sustainability as a way to sell a product or service and/or enhance corporate value. It is the hope for many folks in the sustainability industry that the updated guides will make the exchange and decision-making process around sustainability a little bit easier, but regulation typically reins in complexity versus clarity. To review the existing 1998 Green Guides, visit www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/ guides980427.htm. Cheers, Justin Doak Founder, Ecoxera – Green Business Strategy for Retail Send green retail questions to justindoak@ecoxera.com. www.ddionline.com | September 2010 http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDI - September 2010

DDI - September 2010
Table of Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Portfolio Awards 2010
Retail Design Luminaries
Retail Design Influencers
Design Firms of the Year
Best Visual Merchandising Programs
Retailer of the Year
Best-Designed Stores of the Year
Retail Standouts
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Think Tank

DDI - September 2010

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/designretail/201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/designretail_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20130405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20130203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20120405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20120203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20111112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201110v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201109_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201108_v2
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20110405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20110102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20101112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20100405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_201003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20100102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_20091112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/ddi_200812
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com