Consumers Union calls on FTC to update its Green Guides
March 19, 2010 12:01 AM
The FTC should update its Green Guides.
But the Green Guides, which establish green guidelines for companies to follow without greenwashing consumers, haven't been updated since 1998 and don't reflect some newer green claims like "sustainable" and "renewable."
The Green Guides are currently under review, as we reported last year. But more than two years after the agency initially announced its review process, no decision has been made about whether an update will actually happen.
Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports and the Home & Garden blog, believes it's time for an update. In 2008, CU participated in the FTC's Green Guides review process by providing comments on carbon offsets (PDF) and a presentation on bamboo textiles (PDF).
"We need the FTC to be vigilant in guarding the marketplace from the wild west of green claims so that credible programs can effectively compete with one another, and most importantly, so consumers are not misled," says Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., director of technical policy for Consumers Union.
—Kristi Wiedemann
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