UK: CEO of Advertising Standards Authority shares tips on avoiding greenwashing

The CEO of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Guy Parker, spoke about common greenwashing pitfalls in recent years and provided some advice on how to avoid them, in an interview with online sustainability news outlet, edie. 

What has the ASA observed?

The number of environmental / green claims increased ten years ago and saw another, steeper increase five years ago – likely tied to popular programmes such as Blue Planet 2 which drove demand for lower-plastics products, and the UK government’s legislation on net zero by 2050. 

Parker observes that:

• Sectors more likely to attract complaints are those that matter more to the average consumer and are big in terms of advertising spend (e.g. food and drink, airlines, holidays and energy).
• Buy-in from the top is key. Businesses need a clear sustainability strategy with targets and terminology that are understood across the business. Parker notes that one of the issues following the increase in environmental claims in recent years is that many companies sought to meet consumer expectations for consumer messaging without ensuring a consistent understanding of this messaging internally.
• Differences in interpretation of a claim can result in claims being approved internally by the business which fall foul of advertising codes designed to uphold consumer protection rules, despite good intentions.

‘Golden rules’ to avoid greenwashing

Parker provides a number of ‘golden rules’ to help mitigate greenwashing risk:

• Avoid absolute green claims. Parker explains that stating a business, product or service is ‘green’, ‘sustainable’, or ‘eco’ without further explanation is not aligned with the Competition and Markets Authority’s Green Claims Code.
• Be conditional, precise, and focus claims on what is meaningful. Parker advises focussing on “what’s here and what’s next” rather than long-term or aspirational claims, and notes that consumers may interpret long-term net zero targets differently to environmental experts.
• Be honest with consumers about the challenges you are facing and how far you are on your sustainability journey. Parker states that: “People don’t expect you to have solved this problem, they know that it’s a process… Being a bit humble, I think, makes for more credible and more believable, better ads.”

What’s next?

The ASA will be conducting work on green claims in several sectors and intends to publish more sector-specific resources. 

Sectors of focus include food, waste management, energy, transport, and the suppliers of domestic low-carbon energy products like solar panels and heat pumps.

Where can I find out more?

There is detailed guidance for businesses in the form of the Green Claims Code, the ASA’s Advertising Guidance on Misleading Environmental Claims which includes a recently updated section on green disposal claims and the ASA’s publication on Greenspeaking with Confidence.

For more information, see our new greenwashing page.