Almost three in four products (74%) now feature some form of green claim, new analysis from the BRC shows, as retailers respond to a rise in consumer expectations around sustainability.
However, the research also found one in seven of those claims were found to have a high risk of misleading consumers.
The in-depth study by the BRC and Provenance – which categorised all green claims as having a low, medium or high risk of breaching consumer watchdog guidance – covered almost 390,000 claims across nearly 132,000 SKUs from seven major UK online supermarket retailers.
The BRC categorised ‘high risk’ as unclear or misleading claims which contain vague or inaccurate language; ‘medium risk’ as claims that need more clarity and context to ensure they are specific and accurate; and ‘low risk’ as acceptable claims that would benefit from substantiation at the point of sale.
All so-called green claims, which are any written or visual statements on a product that boast about its eco-friendly credentials, are now overseen by the Competition & Markets Authority’s Green Claims Code, which came into effect in September 2021.
The CMA guidance states that substantiating evidence behind online claims should be made available by a single click-through link.
Read more: How to safely follow the Green Claims Code
The BRC’s findings “highlight the need for further progress”, it said – but its high-risk claims levels were still lower than those reported in the CMA’s global review across a range of sectors, including clothes, cosmetics and food, which estimated that 40% of green claims could be misleading.
The analysis also came at a time when the UK’s consumer watchdog has amped up scrutiny of potentially misleading environmental claims in the consumer goods sector, having recently closed a year-long greenwashing investigation into Unilever.
Tracey Banks, BRC’s climate action roadmap manager, 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.”
Key findings from the analysis
- At the category level:
Products in the bakery and health & beauty verticals were most aligned with green claims guidance.
Pets, household & baby, and frozen food were identified as having the most high-risk green claims.
- By area of impact:
Carbon-related claims accounted for just 2.7% of all green claims; 24% of these were classified as high risk.
Nature-related claims accounted for more than half (55%) of green claims; just 15% of these were classified as high risk.
The BRC also found an average of three green claims per product marketed only by British retailers, which shows companies are investing in sustainability-related marketing as consumer awareness around environmental issues grows.
The trade body joined forces with Provenance to launch a new Retailer Green Claims Forum, an initiative aimed at enhancing green claims compliance and transparency in the retail sector.
In collaboration with compliance bodies and standards organisations, the forum would “empower retailers to share learnings and work towards harmonised industry standards for green claims”, the BRC said.
The 10 most common high-risk claims identified were:
- Sustainable
- Responsibly/sustainably sourced
- 100% natural
- 100% recyclable*
- Responsible forestry
- Certified sustainable
- Natural goodness
- Fully recyclable*
- 100% pure
- Eco-friendly
* These claims are deemed incorrect and misleading because there is always a loss of material in the recycling process, and not all materials are kerbside collectible in all UK boroughs. Expert bodies including OPRL therefore advise using Widely Recyclable instead of 100% or Fully Recyclable.
Read more: Is CMA’s Unilever greenwashing probe another ‘profiteering’ bust in the making?
Provenance founder Jessi Baker 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.”
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