CAP has published a new practical guide, a quick checklist and updated guidance to help advertisers get environmental claims right from the outset.

Consumers increasingly want to understand the environmental impact of the products and services they buy. For advertisers, that presents an opportunity, but also a responsibility to ensure environmental claims are clear, accurate and supported by robust evidence. 

To help advertisers communicate environmental claims with confidence, CAP has published a new practical guide, Greenspeaking with confidence, alongside a quick checklist and updates to its existing guidance on environmental claims. Together, the resources are designed to support advertisers throughout the creative process.

Greenspeaking with confidence 

Developed by CAP's Copy Advice team, Greenspeaking with confidence provides advice to help advertisers communicate genuine environmental benefits clearly, responsibly and without misleading consumers. 

The guide is built around five key principles to help advertisers develop stronger environmental claims: 

  • consider how consumers are likely to understand a claim 
  • hold robust evidence before making objective environmental claims 
  • avoid claiming more than the evidence supports 
  • make claims clear and easy to understand 
  • be transparent about environmental initiatives and ambitions. 

Throughout, practical examples demonstrate how environmental claims are likely to be interpreted and how advertisers can communicate them more clearly and accurately. The guide also explores broader issues including social responsibility, imagery and avoiding undue credit for environmental improvements. 

A practical checklist

To accompany the new guide, CAP has created a quick checklist that distils the key principles into a simple reference tool for advertisers to use during the creative and approval process. 

The checklist encourages advertisers to ask key questions before publishing an ad, including: 

  • how consumers are likely to understand a claim, 
  • whether there is sufficient evidence to support it, 
  • whether the claim goes beyond what can be substantiated, and 
  • whether important environmental information has been communicated clearly. 

Updated guidance

CAP and BCAP have also refreshed their existing guidance on misleading environmental claims and social responsibility. 

The updated guidance now includes new "Key principles" summaries throughout and reflects recent changes to the Advertising Codes following the introduction of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. 

It also references the new Greenspeaking with confidence guide and quick checklist and removes links to individual rulings in favour of directing readers to more comprehensive supporting resources, where rulings can be accessed.

Supporting responsible environmental advertising

Whether you're developing a sustainability campaign, promoting a product innovation or communicating wider environmental initiatives, these resources are designed to help advertisers develop environmental claims that are clear, evidence-based and compliant. 

Need tailored advice? CAP's Copy Advice team provides confidential, non-binding pre-publication advice on prospective non-broadcast advertising, helping advertisers identify and address potential issues before their ads go live. 

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