When making voluntary environmental marketing claims on packaging, it’s important to follow all applicable regulations and guidelines concerning their use. These regulations and guidelines are intended to protect consumers and give businesses clear direction for responsibly communicating important messages about their packaging.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) bans companies from making misleading claims about the environmental attributes of a product or packaging in labeling, advertising, promotional materials or other marketing. To help marketers understand how to make truthful claims, the FTC’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (sometimes referred to as the “Green Guides”) provides guidance on the following types of claims: