Companies touting green credentials to cash in on the mad eco-consumerism that has enveloped much of society have been warned by the ACCC to keep it clean.

Businesses deemed to in breach of the Trade Practices Act through fraudulent green advertising or labelling could face fines of up to $1.1million. The crackdown is in response to the ever growing number of ‘green’ products on the market, from cars to toilet paper to whitegoods.

In a 24-page document the ACCC warned that the terms ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ are too vague and potentially misleading. In extreme cases, the ACCC has the power to bring criminal charges in addition to fines.

Companies stating that a product is made from recycled materials when only part of the product is recycled will face problems. So will the use of words such as ‘clean’ or ‘green’ when a company actually produces energy from unclean sources and promising a product can be carbon offset when it might apply only to a certain period of its life are also areas of concern.

The ACCC is already taking civil action against Holden GM over claims it made last year that 17 native trees would be planted for every vehicle sold, which would offset carbon dioxide emissions for the life of the car. The tree-planting would only offset emissions for a single year so the ACCC deemed that the claims wrongly implied that the cars were cleaner than any other model.

Other companies in trouble over misleading labels are Wondersoft toilet tissue for using the words ‘renew, reuse, reduce, rethink’ when the paper is not made from recycled materials and Pine O Cleen for stating its Glen 20 spray is ‘CFC free’, which means nothing at all since CFCs have been banned in most aerosols.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth has recommended an independent, mandatory labelling system for all products that would ensure consumers had clear information about the water use, carbon footprint and use of recycled materials of all products.

WORDS: aduki