Creatives for Climate has launched a new anti-greenwash guide in order to keep agency leaders abreast with new guidance.
The 31-page document, which has been made in response to regulatory changes against greenwashing at an Ethical Agency Summit in Amsterdam, is designed to be an interactive document which helps people understand greenwashing and navigate the law.
It follows on from the UN Secretary General António Guterres questioning the integrity of advertising and PR, and comes ahead of Cannes Lions.
The guide includes helpful tips to implement at agency level to move away from inadvertent greenwashing.
It also includes principles to guide agencies on their path away from misleading and unsubstantiated claims in communications campaigns.
A pull-out entitled ‘How Not To Greenwash’ is a checklist of points like avoiding jargon, making fair comparisons, and providing a verifiable strategy around delivering future sustainability goals.
Key points include not conflating claims about a product with an overall claim about the brand.
It also includes recent case studies, looking at brands including Primark, Unilever, Oatly and HSBC.
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The guide also summarises the latest regulatory frameworks including The Green Claims code in the United Kingdom, the US Federal Trade Commission Green Guides and the European Comission Guidance on unfair commercial practices directive.
“Agencies can land themselves in hot water if their campaigns fail to comply with anti-greenwashing laws and regulations, as shown by recent legal action involving global brands,” said Client Earth climate lawyer Jonathan White.
“This intensifying legal scrutiny means that adhering to the latest rules is only the bare minimum. Full and frank treatment of the facts through conscious and accurate messaging is the way forward,” he added.
The move comes following a flurry of against agencies including Havas, The&Partnership and McCann over their links with fossil fuel clients.
Wieden + Kennedy director of sustainability Luke Purdy added: “An anti-greenwash guide is such a helpful resource to guide us through the complexities of communicating environmental messaging; the stakes are too high not to get it right.”
“Our reach and potential for impact at Wieden+Kennedy and the industry as a whole is huge, which is why it is so vital that we’re as responsible as we can be with the influence we wield. It matters what we say and how we say it,” he continued.
