HFPA alerts on new FTC eco-claim guide

-- Home Textiles Today, 4/11/2008 1:22:00 PM

New York – Home Fashion Product Association counsel Meeks, Sheppard, Leo & Pillsbury has alerted HFPA members that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a new set of guidelines covering the use of “environmental marketing claims” for consumer products.

The FTC guide includes stipulations and criteria on such topics as:

- Distinguishing between benefits of the product and package;

- Overstatement of environmental attribute;

- Comparative claims;

- General environmental benefit claims;

- Source reduction claims;

- Refillable packaging;

- Ozone safe and ozone friendly claims.

The FTC directives are available online, and generally warn suppliers from misrepresenting product or packaging benefits, urging voluntary compliance instead of risking “corrective action” by the agency.

The FTC will hold a no-fee, public one-day workshop on April 30 in Washington – also available by webcast – to address eco-claims in product packaging. According to Meeks, Sheppard, pre-registration is at greenpackagingworkshop@ftc.gov and the webcast can be picked up at www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/packaging/index.html.