Defra

Green claims and labels

Environmental (or “green”) claims and labels can help consumers to make informed buying choices – by giving information about the environmental impact and qualities of products or services, either on a product or in marketing/advertising materials.  By providing credible information, businesses can not only enhance their credentials and demonstrate that they are acting responsibly to their consumers, business partners and regulators – but can also steer the market towards products with a reduced environmental impact.

For environmental claims and labels to work well, they must be credible to consumers, clearly understood, and genuinely reflect a benefit to the environment.  This webpage provides links to a range of tools and resources for both mandatory and voluntary schemes to help business provide useful and accurate information, which is fair and not misleading.

  • Green Claims
  • European Energy Label
  • Eu Ecolabel
  • Voluntary labelling schemes
  • Food labelling
  • When claims and labels aren’t right
  • Further information

Green Claims

Defra’s Green Claims Guidance(2011) provides advice to business for clear, accurate, relevant and substantiated environmental claims on products, services or in marketing and advertising.  To complement the guidance, a summary ‘quick guide’  gives a brief overview of the key aspects of a good environmental claim and links to the pages of the full Green Claims Guidance for more detailed principles and examples.

Useful research that informed the guidance includes:

Some industry sector specific guides include:

European energy label

The mandatory European Energy Label requires producers of certain types of products (including refrigerators & freezers, washing machines, ovens and lamps) to show information that helps consumers compare energy efficiency between products. Guidance on the existing EU Framework Directive covering Energy Labelling and individual product measures is available.  A revised Directive comes into force in July 2011 and introduces new requirements for advertisers.

Defra is working in partnership with retailers to communicate the changes in the EU Energy Label to consumers. Communications material include a leaflet, posters, staff training material, internet banners and articles for in store/online magazines.  If you wish to discuss the possibility of working in partnership with Defra please contact: efficient.products@defra.gsi.gov.uk

EU Ecolabel

The EU Ecolabel Scheme is a voluntary labelling scheme designed to help consumers identify products with the lowest environmental impact. Companies who believe that their products can meet the demanding Ecolabel standard must have this independently assessed and verified before being allowed to carry the distinctive EU Ecolabel Flower logo. Looking for the Ecolabel Flower logo makes it simple for consumers to have confidence in the reduced environmental impact of the product that they are buying.

The EU Ecolabel Scheme continues to grow year on year, in both the number and range of different products that it covers. Defra operates the EU Ecolabel in the UK and is keen to encourage this growth.  More information on the products covered, the verification process and how to apply is available at the link below.

Voluntary labelling schemes

There are a range of different voluntary labelling schemes available for businesses to choose.  Schemes often cover different types of products or environmental impacts, and have different assessment or verification criteria and processes. So it is worth taking time to consider the different schemes – their relevance to you and their credibility – depending on the needs of your business.  Advice in Defra’s Green Claims Guidance and in ‘Pitching Green – green labels and credentials: a guide to the options’ may help.

Defra’s “A Shopper’s Guide to Green Labels” helps consumers understand environmental labels on products.  It can be downloaded and keep, or saved onto your mobile phone.

Food labelling

There are a range of different voluntary labels related to the environmental impact of food.  Labels often focus on single environmental issues like ‘organic’.  But there is increasing interest in reducing the environmental impact of food across a range of environmental indicators to improve the sustainability of our food supply long term (see The Foresight project Global Food and Farming Futures report). The viability of food eco-labelling is being explored across Europe at various levels including the industry-led EU Sustainable Consumption and Production Food Round Table and through the Eu Ecolabel.

Defra also has wider responsibilities on food labelling and food compositional standards where this does not relate to food safety or nutrition.

When claims and labels aren’t right

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 requires all information to consumers to be fair and honest.  If you believe that a claim is false or misleading, even after explanations from the retailer or manufacturer, you are entitled to take this up with the relevant enforcement body.

Defra has no enforcement role in relation to misleading claims and labels, except for labelling schemes for which Defra itself is responsible, like the European Ecolabel.  The bodies with a role in enforcing or regulating environmental claims, where you can go for advice or further information, are:

  • More information about the consumer protection regulations can be obtained from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), which is responsible for consumer protection legislation. It is possible to make a complaint under the Regulations via the Consumer Direct website provided by BIS.
  • The National Measurement Office (NMO) in the UK is responsible for enforcement of Eco-Design of Energy Using Products and European Energy Labels requirements.
  • Your local authority trading standards service, or your local authority, will be able to advise you on how to take forward any complaint. You can contact them on www.tradingstandards.gov.uk, or via Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.  In Northern Ireland, enforcement responsibilities rest with the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, rather than local authorities.
  • Complaints about all advertisements and promotions, including broadcast adverts, can be made to the Advertising Standards Authority who ensures standards are adhered to through the application of the advertising standards codes (CAP and BCAP codes). The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) (who writes the non-broadcast Advertising Code) provides pre-publication advice via its CopyAdvice service. UK TV and radio adverts are pre-cleared through Clearcast, and the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre respectively.  All three bodies can provide advice on how to get your green claims right.

Further information

Page last modified: 21 December 2011