Using your products to demonstrate commitment to a more sustainable world

There are six different types of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which capture incoming solar energy and hold it in the form of heat close to the Earth’s surface at the exact right temperature for life to exist – this is called the Greenhouse effect.

However, over the last couple of decades, we as humans have disrupted this natural balance by adding an excessive amount of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, trapping more heat, and leading to a global temperature increase.

What can we do to help combat this?

Carbon Neutral Products, while not the silver bullet to tackling climate change, are an essential piece of the puzzle to help improve this global crisis.


We are starting to see the emergence of new regulations across various regions as well as the enforcement of existing regulations, particularly in relation to advertising. The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has issued guidance on environmental claims on goods and services, outlining six key principles:

     1 - Claims must be truthful and accurate

Claims must avoid any misleading or exaggerated statements around its carbon product footprint. Claims must not give consumers a deceptive impression, even if the claim is factually correct.

     2 - Claims must be clear and unambiguous

Claims should be worded in a transparent and easily understandable manner, making it easy for consumers to comprehend. Businesses should also avoid using any aspirational claims e.g., to ‘reduce waste’ without a clear strategy in place.

     3 - Claims must not omit or hide important relevant information

Claims must include full transparency and disclosure of a product's environmental implications, giving all the information the consumer needs to make informed choices. If there are any caveats to a claim, those should be disclosed prominently and not hidden in small print.

     4 - Comparisons must be fair and meaningful

Comparisons, whether with competitors’ or a business’ own products, should be based on clear, up-to-date and objective information, and should be based on a like-to-like product.

     5 - Claims must consider the full life cycle of the product or service

Claims should not just focus on one small part of a product, but instead accurately represent the full environmental impact. If the claim is about a specific part of a product, then it should be clear what the aspect is, so the consumer is not misled.

     6 - Claims must be substantiated 

There must be robust, up-to-date and credible evidence to show that the claim is true, such as via independent verification.


36% of businesses surveyed have a brief idea of how to tackle carbon neutrality when it comes to their products, whilst 24% would like to implement carbon neutrality but are unsure where to start.

About the authors

Khai Nizam - Global Scheme Owner for Sustainability and Traceability, BSI

Khai works with countries and regions across the world to develop new solutions addressing both sustainability and traceability challenges. He is passionate about carbon neutrality, circular economy, disruptive technologies, and sustainable consumption and production initiatives, with 7 years of working experience in the sustainability field.

Natasha Bambridge - Global Consumer Promise Practice Director, BSI

With over 20 years in the testing, inspection, and certification industry, Natasha leads the BSI practice for consumer promise which enables organizations to independently verify claims that impact consumers from service excellence through to sustainability.


If you would like to learn more about the importance of product-level carbon neutrality to inspire you to act and make a positive impact on the environment, please watch our on-demand webinar or visit our website.

 

If you are ready to assess your product against the certification criteria of the BSI Kitemark™ for carbon-neutral products, please get in touch to speak to a BSI representative.

Speak to a BSI representative