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Republic of Everyone and Optim Legal team up to launch Greenwash Buster
Despite the economic downturn, increasingly we are seeing research studies demonstrating that 'green' is still holding its place in the values that consumers are looking for in the brands they buy. As a result companies are continuing to use 'green' as a point of differentiation in their brand and product messages.
Over the past two years there has been a growing scrutiny of 'green' marketing by NGOs such as Total Environment Centre (TEC) and government regulators such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Last year the ACCC published detailed guidelines for green-related marketing. Already, several brands have found out the hard way that avoiding greenwash may not be as easy as it seems, leading to some unwelcome attention from the ACCC.
Whilst many advertisers are well-meaning in their approach to highlighting their 'green' credentials, they often do not have the necessary in-house expertise and capabilities dedicated to 'green' marketing.
The result can be 'greenwash' where claims are made in advertising, packaging and marketing materials that may unintentionally mislead consumers. This undermines the authenticity of the message, is bad for business and will usually contravene trade practices laws.
NGOs such as Choice, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the TEC have been at the forefront of exposing greenwash. A study by Choice last year found that on 185 supermarket products there were a total of 637 environmentally-related claims on the packaging.
In addition, green marketing investigations or legal proceedings by the ACCC against leading corporates, such as GM Holden (Saab), Energy Australia, Woolworths and Origin Energy, have made advertisers very wary.
In such cases, the ACCC often seeks undertakings or orders for corrective publicity, which is both expensive for the business and embarrassing to the brand. Regulatory scrutiny isn't the only concern - any company may bring civil proceedings against a competitor for misleading or deceptive conduct, including greenwash.
The Australian Association of National Advertiser (AANA) has recently announced that it will be introducing a self-regulatory code, called the Environmental Claims Advertising and Marketing Code, aiming to restrict ‘green marketing' claims in advertising.
Republic of Everyone is a specialist sustainability agency focused on helping companies translate sustainability to support their business and brand. They work with clients such as Sony, Carbon Planet, Living Edge, International Fund For Animal Welfare, Australian Conservation Foundation and Landcare on sustainability strategy and communications.
Republic of Everyone has now tapped the expertise of Optim Legal, a Sydney law firm with a strong focus on clients heading in a more environmentally sustainable direction.
The result? Greenwash Buster - a package that synthesises the Republic of Everyone's marketing experience with Optim's Legal's trade practices law expertise into a single, streamlined service.
Greenwash Buster helps clients navigate the complexities of trade practices laws while providing an independent consulting service to advertisers who want to get their 'green' messages to market with a minimum of risk.
Launched in April, Republic of Everyone has already been advising clients through its Greenwash Buster product.
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