Website: International Chamber of Commerce

As more consumers consider environmental features important in their purchasing decisions, businesses have a keen interest in communicating the 'green' attributes of their products. Getting the message right is far from easy. To help marketers and advertisers avoid the mistakes of vague, non-specific or misleading environmental claims, the International Chamber of Commerce has produced a new global Framework for Responsible Environmental Marketing Communications.

The framework responds to a call from industry stakeholders for guidance on how to better engage in, and evaluate, environmental marketing communications to ensure consumer confidence in these claims is safeguarded.

"The new framework helps marketers and their agencies ensure the messages they develop hold up to the basic principles of truthful, honest and socially responsible communications," said John Manfredi, Chair of the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising. "While the principles are simple, applying them amid the hype and fury of new claims and terms that are not universally understood, is more complicated. This guide is an attempt to map that process for companies and provide a standard for self-regulators to evaluate when claims are questioned."

Developed by the ICC Commission on Marketing and Advertising, the framework includes a practical checklist aimed at the creators of marketing communications campaigns around environmental claims, as well as a chart that provides an easy reference to relevant provisions of the global advertising code and interpretations on current issues related to environmental marketing.