As part of its ongoing
efforts to help mitigate greenwashing on Madison Avenue, the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) is exploring the creation of a new industry entity that would help develop common standard and
guidelines the ad industry can use to self-regulate the practice.
The entity, dubbed “Common Consortium for Greenwashing Prevention” (CCGP) was disclosed in a letter sent
to the Federal Trade Commission this morning, in response to the commission’s request for public comments to update the agency’s own
“Green Guides” for the use of environmental marketing claims, which followed several congressional hearings last last year on the practice of greenwashing campaigns developed by major
ad agencies and PR firms for fossil fuel marketers.
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In the letter, the IAE said the new consortium would consist “of experts from different fields to develop common standards
and guidelines based on social science frameworks and an educational component to raise awareness and build capacity among key stakeholders.”
The IAE also disclosed that it
already has circulated a framework for mitigating greenwashing to 2,000 “industry players” in January, and that it is in the process of updating a “greenwashing prevention
module” as part of its self-administered ad industry professional certification process.
"
IAE Principles focus on
enhanced ethics in the advertising profession and its impact on individuals and society," the letter to the FTC reads, noting, "Greenwashing harms consumers and their ability to make informed choices,
hampers climate action and undermines the good faith efforts of environmentally responsible companies and organizations. Unfortunately, despite the growing number of climate lawsuits facing
organizations accused of greenwashing, there has not yet been the development or adoption of standards for guarding against this harmful practice. This slow response to a burning issue is detrimental
even to the advertising industry."