The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and tech company Provenance have created a new resource to help retailers master green claims compliance.
The Retailer Green Claims Forum is a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing green claims compliance and transparency across the retail sector. The forum has been developed alongside compliance bodies and standards organisations, and aims to empower retailers to share learnings and work towards harmonised industry standards in this space.
Provenance is seperately already working with several retailers, including Holland & Barrett and THG, helping substantiate the environmental claims made on these businesses’ online product listings.
With the Competition & Markets Authority’s Green Claims Code coming into effect in September 2021, more focus is on retailers to comply when it comes to eco-related claims. The guidance stipulates all green claims must be accurate, clear, and backed by evidence; that they consider the full product lifecycle; that comparisons are made fairly; and that they include all relevant information.
To support the launch of the Retailer Green Claims Forum, the BRC and Provenance undertook industry research categorising green claims in the retail industry. They categorised claims as having a ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high risk’ of breaching the guidance – and found one in seven claims were found to have a high risk of misleading consumers.
Some 74% of all products marketed online by British retailers feature some form of green claim, and there was an average of 2.9 claims per product. The research also indicated UK retailers are responding positively to a rise in consumer expectations around sustainability in recent years.
Products in the bakery and health & beauty verticals were deemed to be most aligned with green claims guidance, while pets, household & baby, and frozen food were identified as having the most high risk green claims.
According to the research, the ten most common high risk claims identified were, as follows: sustainable; responsibly/sustainably sourced; 100% natural; 100% recyclable; responsible forestry; certified-sustainable; natural goodness; fully recyclable; 100% pure; and eco-friendly.
Tracey Banks, the manager of the BRC’s Climate Action Roadmap, which is an inititaive aimed at aligning the industry on sustainability strategy, said: “It’s highly encouraging to see that retailers are responding to consumer demand for sustainability.
“We recognise, however, that the industry needs more support to ensure their green marketing is clear, accurate, and substantiated. What’s at stake is not just compliance, but a very real green growth opportunity. Our new Retailer Green Claims Forum with Provenance is a timely and essential initiative to help sustainability leaders collaborate with experts and peers to master green claims compliance and realise their commercial value.”
Jessi Baker, founder of Provenance, added: “It’s heartening to see retailers aren’t shying away from sustainability marketing efforts and we’re excited to partner with the BRC on the Retailer Green Claims Forum to give them the confidence they need to make accurate and credible green claims.
“It’s a unique opportunity for sustainability leaders to collaborate, share best practice and increase compliance. We warmly invite all retail sustainability leaders to join us in this effort to drive positive change and build consumer trust.”
[image credit: Green Retail World]
