EACA and VoxComm Partners with WFA, ICAS and EASA on Global Guidance on Environmental Claims
EACA and VoxComm Partners with WFA, ICAS and EASA on Global Guidance on Environmental Claims
The new joint industry ‘Global Guidance on Environmental Claims’ have just been published. Commissioned by WFA and developed with the help of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) and the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), the guidelines have been reviewed and are supported by EACA’s Task Force ‘Sustainability’, composed of agency sustainability experts from across Europe, as well as VoxComm, the global voice of agencies. UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) experts were leading the drafting of the principles which were then peer reviewed by experts from ad standards bodies in Australia, Brazil, France, India, Spain, Sweden and the US.
The Guide is based on six principles which brands and agencies should follow in order to drive more sustainable outcomes. It will be complemented by an e-learning tool to challenge greenwashing and by dedicated resources allowing marketers to access market-specific rules, examples, and copy advice services provided by national advertising standard bodies. For a proper application of the global guidance on environmental claims and the local regulatory landscape, marketers and agencies can rely on advice and training from national ad standards bodies that are members of ICAS and EASA, as well as a global independent review process, a monitoring service coordinated by EASA.
“There is a credibility gap between ads promoting products and ads promoting sustainable products. The latter starts with a disadvantage because they are under closer scrutiny. The principles now developed have just become an indispensable element in our industry’s toolbox to avoid greenwashing and to rebalance consumer trust. On behalf of communications agencies in Europe and beyond, I am delighted to see the industry gathering around such an important and crucial topic. By bringing our sustainability agency experts together, it became apparent immediately that environmental claims are one of the top priorities for agencies. Thank you, WFA, ICAS and EASA for kicking off this work and for making it a joint effort”, said Tamara Daltroff, EACA Director General and VoxComm President.