FTC Green Guides & How to Avoid Greenwashing in Marketing - Advertising Age

In this report, you will learn: • What marketers need to know about the updated FTC Green Guides • Why it's important to make credible environmental claims, and the risks of damaging your reputation with greenwashing • The challenges in green marketing communications and practical suggestions • How consumers perceive green marketing claims • Case studies of marketers that evolved from greenwashing to making more credible claims Propelled by sales of organic foods, natural personal-care, cleaning products, sustainable apparel and hybrid cars, the U.S. market for green products was estimated at $290 Billion in 2010 by the Natural Marketing Institute. More and more consumers are asking questions like: Where was this coffee sourced? Were the workers paid a fair wage? Can I recycle this package in my community? But there's a phenomemon of Greenwashing threatening the Green Marketing revolution. Green issues are highly technical, complex and constantly evolving. This report looks to inform marketers at the risks of greenwashing and the key challenges of making credible green claims. It provides an overview of the FTC Green Guides, provides a practical guide to making credible claims, and showcases case studies of how marketers evolved from greenwashing to making credible green claims. The report also comes with strategies for providing consumers with credible, useful information for making informed decisions, and a practical checklist of questions that marketers and their legal and technical counsel can ask in order to put the report's lessons to work. Here's what green experts are saying about this report: "This practical fact-filled guide to green marketing needs to be required reading for every Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Creative Director, and brand owner." --Don Carli, Senior Research Fellow, The Institute for Sustainable Communication "There is no doubt that "How to Make Credible Green Marketing Claims" will be the "go to" resource for all marketers launching brand campaigns including any environmental messaging. If you are planning a marketing campaign for any green programs, this is a must." -- Susan McPherson, Senior VP-Director of Global Marketing, Fenton "Jacquelyn Ottman and David Mallen have written a tight and practical roadmap for navigating around greenwashing and green-fatigue in today's crowded eco-Marketplace. With a range of great examples and case studies, "How to Make Credible Green Marketing Claims" should be required reading for brand marketing and claims review pros in the CPG and FMCG industries." -- Dave Stangis, VP-Public Affairs and Corporate Responsibility, Campbell Soup Company "The information and insights in this report are absolutely essential to anyone working in the sustainable product marketing space. Jacquie Ottman and David Mallen, the authorities on these issues, have collaborated on what's now my new primer on green marketing claims." -- Kate Lewis, Deputy Director, USDA Biopreferred