How Canada is lagging when it comes to clamping down on 'gre

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How Canada is lagging when it comes to clamping down on 'greenwashing'

[ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/greenwas ... -1.7101845 ]

'We don't have the level of oversights and enforcement that we need,' environmental lawyer says

Benjamin Shingler · CBC News · Posted: February 05, 2024

Environmental groups in Canada are calling for stronger measures to oppose greenwashing, a blanket term for misleading or unsupported statements about a product or company's environmental record (Alastair Grant/The Associated Press)

EXCERPT: ""Eco-friendly." "Carbon neutral." "Net-zero."

These kinds of claims are a near-constant in advertising campaigns and promotions.

But it can be difficult to know if they are true.

The federal government wants to strengthen how the Competition Bureau handles complaints about "greenwashing" — a blanket term for misleading or unsupported statements about a product or company's environmental record.

Even with those changes, though, advocates say Canada will still be far behind the European Union and other jurisdictions when it comes to making sure a company's statements are accurate.

"We are lagging," said Matt Hulse, a lawyer with the Canadian environmental group Ecojustice.

"We're seeing decisions by competition bureaus or the equivalent in other countries that we're not making here in Canada."

The calls for improvements come against a backdrop of increased accusations of deceitful marketing practices, with Canada's largest bank and an oilsands group both the subject of investigations.

Some business leaders, as well, fear rampant greenwashing undermines honest efforts to build enviro-friendly brands. . . . . "

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