The Green Guides, or as formally named, Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, are an administrative interpretation of the law that aims to outline the criteria for accurate, non-misleading environmental claims for marketers.
Environmental claims fall under the Federal Trade Commission Act, which is a United States Federal law. It was established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a US governmental agency whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil U.S. antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. With this in mind, the Green Guides are not enforceable themselves. They encompass what the FTC may find deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive acts and practices around commerce.
While the publication of the UK’s Green Claims Code has made some noise in the industry, the Green Guides from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have been around quietly and humbly since 1992. On the one hand, American marketers are trained to be in tune with legal regulations. From our side, CarbonCloud is trained to fuel fully substantiated climate footprints.
That’s why we read FTC’s Green Guides for you: We walk you through how your climate footprint complies with the environmental claim guidelines in the US: read all about it here.