US advertisers bridle at prospect of "stifling" green guidelines

US advertising agencies have urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to gather more information before making changes to "green marketing" guidelines, according to an article from Broadcasting and Cable.

The commission is currently investigating whether an increase in the number of companies making environmentally sustainable marketing assertions and growing public concerns over "greenwashing" should be tackled through more restrictions and guidelines for certain types of green claims.

Last month, the commission held the first in a series of public workshops on updating its so called Green Guides, which outline best practices for environmental marketing and cover how businesses should promote and verify green claims. The first session discussed whether specific guidelines are required for the burgeoning carbon offset industry, which has been dogged by concerns over its credibility in recent years.

Now the advertising trade associations the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) have reportedly made a joint filing to the FTC arguing the judgement on new guidelines should not be rushed.

Existing guidelines on the truth and accuracy of green claims are effective and self regulation already ensures that environmental claims are substantiated and must not be deceptive, the agencies are arguing. They warned changes could confuse consumers and restrict a company's ability to communicate its green initiatives.

The advertising agencies said the FTC should "not to take any action that would stifle the ability or the interest of a company to make positive steps in improving the environment".