Substantiation of Environmental Marketing Claims

Substantiation

All marketers making express or implied claims about the attributes of their product, package or service must have substantiation, that is, a reasonable basis for their claims. When it comes to environmental claims, a reasonable basis often may require competent and reliable scientific evidence, which is defined as tests, analyses, research, studies or other evidence based on the expertise of professionals in the relevant area conducted and evaluated in an objective way by qualified people using procedures generally accepted in the profession to yield accurate and reliable results.

Substantiation is a vital (and expensive) part of product development...and marketing. Substantiation is best built into the product development process by using verifiable or certified parts and ingredients; using trackable and measurable processes; and keeping good records of all sources, checking out Material Standard Data Sheets; and  having product managers check marketing materials before they are finalized.  ALL marketing messages: packaging, advertising, public relations and news have an impact on compliance with FTC regulations.

The US Federal Trade Commission  looks at all advertising from the consumer's perspective: what message does the advertising actually convey to consumers? The Environmental Guides explain how consumers are likely to interpret environmental marketing claims so that marketers can avoid making false or misleading claims. The Guides give environmental claims the meaning that consumers give them, not necessarily the technical or scientific definition of terms. Also, they do not establish standards for environmental performance or prescribe testing protocols.