Marketers have a problem – one where spin isn’t going to work. Climate change, the environment and sustainability sit at the top of the agenda for UK business, and consumers are looking at brands and saying “what are you doing about this?”.
In recent years, more and more businesses have introduced ‘environmental policies’, or mission statements that centre around sustainability and restoring the planet. However, when scrutinised, many fall short of their claims – a dangerous game to play.
The Green Claims Code for Shoppers
If marketers are already biting their nails about their sustainability claims, the new Green Claims Code for Shoppers is going leave them with very sore fingers!
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued this new guidance to help consumers to identify genuine environmental claims about products and services that they are considering purchasing.
The guidance includes five pieces of advice for consumers:
Don’t trust slogans or vague terms
Look for evidence to support a claim
Look past appearances
Don’t forget the disposal
Think about the bigger picture
The tips are designed to encourage consumers to ask themselves simple questions when they see an environmental claim. And we all know what happens to those that are found to be telling ‘porkies’!
What does this mean for businesses?
For businesses that can evidence their ‘green’ claims, the code is going to provide them with a powerful marketing tool.
For those that can’t evidence their claims, they are going to have to move really quickly to avoid any serious reputational damage.
Recommendations if you want to stay out of trouble
Remove any claims that cannot be wholly substantiated
Amend any mission statement that cannot be wholly substantiated
Gather evidence that proves where you are compliant
Outline the areas where you are part-compliant and what you are working towards
Create a pledge that outlines your sustainability goals for the future
Create a ‘green’ working party; bring together a team that is focused on sustainability to identifying areas of the business that need immediate compliance, and other areas that can be addressed over time
Address your ‘partner’ relationships. If partners do not meet your own standards, how will you overcome this? This doesn’t mean that you need to lose key partners, particularly those in the supply chain, but it may mean that you will need to be more realistic about your own goals
If you are going to pledge to become ‘net zero’ or ‘fully sustainable’ by a set date, you will need to understand the costs involved. It’s also worth exploring what government funds that are available to help you achieve your goals
Be honest with your customers and stakeholders. It’s far better to say that you are working towards goals rather than being misleading – the latter will cost you dearly
Look at your customer base – are they as sustainable as they could be and how can you help them?
The future is most definitely green
Regardless of your business sector or type, there are many ‘green’ things that you can do that will help the environment, reduce your costs, appease customers and stakeholders and win more business.
Never make a promise that you can’t keep and always ask ‘is this sustainable?’ and ‘is this in line with our values’.
Comments