Businesses can make environmental claims — only if they aren’t false or misleading and have been properly substantiated, according to new Canadian anti-greenwashing guidelines.

The guidelines released Thursday by Canada’s Competition Bureau are intended to help companies comply with anti-greenwashing laws introduced last June.

Businesses making environmental claims will require an assessment, not only of the literal wording of the claim, but also of the general impression created by the advertisement as a whole, including the words, images and layout, the bureau said.

The new rules elicited both praise and swift backlash.

“The bureau's guidance is important, but it is really just one piece of the puzzle, and it is not determinative,” said Keldon Bester, executive director of the Canadi

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