Understanding the Effective Use of Green Product Labels

This UL white paper discusses the importance of objective and verifiable environmental claims for products, and provides guidelines for the development and use of effective and legal claims in the marketing of green products. The paper begins with a review of leading causes of false or misleading environmental claims, known as greenwashing, and details the risks associated with such claims. The white paper then summarizes recommendations for effective environmental claims as detailed in the FTC’s Green Guides. The paper concludes with recommendations for companies and organizations on the benefits of a comprehensive approach to assessing the environmental preferability of their green products.