So how can these principles be implemented, and what common mistakes should be avoided when making green claims? The first thing you need to do is know what environmental claims your business is making and ensure you understand the ways in which they could be misleading.
Environmental claims suggest that a product or service, process or brand is better for the environment than an alternative product or service. To ensure your claims are true and will meet the above criteria, you should understand what green claims your organisation is making and what format they are in (videos, social posts, infographics, adverts etc.) so that consumers won’t misinterpret your claims.
When applying your green claims code to your organisation, don’t forget your supply chain. You Scope 3 emissions are something you need to think about when making marketing claims about your sustainability.
Scope 3 emissions: There are different types of greenhouse gas emissions which are categorised into scopes. Scope 1 covers emissions from your organisations owned sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat and steam. Scope 3 includes all your other indirect emissions across your value chain, such as purchased goods, business travel, distribution and investments.
Looking at financial and energy-usage reports can be a great starting point to help understand the baseline of carbon emissions and discover or refine green claims across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
No matter the size of your organisation, you can get an understanding of the wider landscape of organisational sustainability here:
