FTC comes from the Federal Trade Commission in the United States and is regarded as an institution with a more eco-friendly approach. It recently released an issue called “Green Guides” aimed at all marketing companies and meant to help them acknowledge the importance of a greener lifestyle. Hopefully, this issue will make companies understand that although they are not related in any way with the eco-friendly industry, they still can do something for the earth. By simply making their products non-deceptive and truthful they are making a great contribution.
What is more, the Federal Trade Commission used the response it had received from various consumers, as well as data from industry representatives and consumers in order to come up with these green guidelines. Also, they brought several improvements and made additions to the already existing guidelines that were dealing with green certification, carbon offsets and claims related to renewable materials and energy. New sections have been added that were not found in the previous documents, further explications and additional details. This was something expected, especially now that the eco-friendly industries have started developing so greatly and the environmental problems are so many.
In addition, according to the press release that announced the changes, the FTC guidelines provide guidance on diverse terms, like recyclable, compostable or recycle content. Likewise, the guidelines strongly advise companies and marketers not to make false claims about the degradability and the proprieties of their products if they cannot provide the entire package or if the products will completely break down and will end up in nature after one year of disposal.
The general manager and vice-president of Enviro-Solution Ltd. said that there also exists a special section that focuses only on green seals and certification. He added that these guidelines have been designed to tighten the rules about what green certification really means. Their main goal is to eliminate all deceptive practices and the unfair products that claim to be green and eco-friendly only because it is such a good advertising strategy.