Screws tighten on green claims

The Committee on Advertising Practice has formalised its guidelines on environmental claims in a revision of the British Codes of Advertising and Sales Promotion. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which enforces the code, says the move will clarify the message sent to advertisers - although the code is less tough on absolute claims than the guidelines for TV and radio advertising. Meanwhile, there appears to be broad support in the UK for a draft international standard defining commonly used environmental terms, which should strengthen the arm of trading standards officers against non-advertising claims.