Communicating Environmental Claims GREENLIGHT ALLIANCE IRENE MAZZEI, PHD.
In this issue the GreenLight Alliance breaks down the various environmental claims made by manufacturers, and the ways in which they can be applied to different needs.
How many times have we heard that a certain product is “Eco-Friendly” or that a new packaging is “Green”? Perhaps more recently we have also read a webpage or report stating that a luminaire or component is associated with a certain quantity of kg CO2 equivalent emissions, or that a production process emits X% less CO2, compared to another. All these examples represent environmental communications or claims; however, they are fundamentally different in the information they convey and in the way they are communicated. In this article we will define and explore different types of environmental claims and understand their context of validity and how they can be applied to different communication needs. Introduction & Context An environmental claim is an assertion made by an organisation about a product, service, process or brand related to their effect on the environment – in the most generic sense or connected to specific aspects and environmental burdens. Claims can be made referring to a product as a whole or to parts of the product, its packaging, the way it is used or disposed of. As a result of increasing concern towards the consequences of industrial activities on the environment, organisations are interested in declaring that their products exhibit positive environmental impacts. Environmental claims are being increasingly used as a marketing tool to attract customers; however, sometimes they are 110 / 111
very generic (“energy efficient”, “low carbon”, “sustainable”, etc.), which poses a risk to credibility if unsubstantiated. These claims could either exaggerate some environmental aspects of the product or even be completely false – referred to as “greenwashing”. Considering the influence that these claims potentially have on consumers, standards are in place to protect them and prevent the circulation of misleading environmental communications. A misleading claim is defined as a statement made by a business omitting or hiding information with the intent of giving the impression that their product does not have negative effects on the environment (1). To make sure practices are aligned, international standards regulating labelling and environmental claims exist and classify claims based on what they communicate and the evidence behind them. Under the overarching ISO 14020 standard (Environmental statements and programmes for products: principles and general requirements), we can find specific standards identifying and explaining the three main types of environmental claims: Type I (or Ecolabels), Type II (or selfdeclarations) and Type III (or Environmental Product Declaration, EPD). Type I, II, and III Claims The standard ISO 14020:2023 is the core standard regulating the practice of producing environmental statements. The standard defines the basic principles that should be followed before