TOTAL LICENSING
In a new, regular series of columns for Total Licensing, Products of Change will outline how the industry can drive real, sustainable change, together
The Great Unwashed: How to spot a greenwash and get away from it Late last year, the UK government introduced its Green Claims Code to help end greenwashing within the marketing sphere.The problem? It’s left us more questions than answers. Here, Products of Change offers its advice on avoiding the greenwash trap this year It was at CES in Las Vegas at the start of the month that the climate tech company, Dayrize unveiled a new piece of technology that assesses the environmental impact of a consumer product to give it a sustainability rating out of 100. Imagine a calorie counter for your tshirt, the system is designed to make the measurement of sustainability accessible for brands and companies of all sizes, while putting the choice of shopping sustainably in the hands of the customer. It’s a piece of kit that could revolutionise the consumer products space and eradicate all known issues around greenwashing for good. Adopting a slightly less dynamic and a wholly more ambiguous approach,
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Do I fully understand the environmental benefit claimed, and could I defend this if called upon to do so?”
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the British government – towards the end of last year – finally issued a set of guidelines developed to help remove greenwashing from the marketing materials of companies and brands across the country. The problem with the 13step Green Claims Code is, however, it’s left us with a lot more questions than it has provided answers. A system reliant on the interpretation of businesses and individuals all now eyeing the next ‘global megatrend’, it is, in short, an approach most fallible. Yet, putting an end to greenwashing is simply something we must get right, and as an industry based on trust between brand, customer, and end user, nowhere is it more important that we do so, than within toys. The Green Claims Code, to sum-
marise for anyone who has not yet had the pleasure, dictates that claims made about products must be: truthful and accurate, clear and unambiguous, must not omit or hide important, relevant information, consider the full life cycle of the product or service, and must be substantiated. If you can say yes to each of these, then please proceed to the next level. Except, it’s not quite that simple. According to the circular economy expert and Products of Change Advisor, Arthur Parry, there really is only one good test for anyone looking to check for greenwashing in their own communication, and it’s to ask yourself one thing: Do I fully understand the environmental benefit claimed, and could I defend this if called upon
