Week Two: The Australian

Article from: The Australian
Title: Code for green ad claims on the way
Author: Simon Canning
Date: July 31, 2008

Link: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,24104576-17061,00.html

This article discusses the introduction of proposed new laws to regulate the use of "green" claims on products and product advertising; that is, claims which lead the consumer to believe that the product they are purchasing will be less damaging to the environment than a competitors product. Companies use "green" claims to differentiate themselves from similar companies offering similar products in order to boost sales. At the present time there are no specific laws to regulate the use of "green" claims and many people worry that these claims can be unethical and misleading.

In these environmentally aware times, poeple want to do what they can to help the environment. There is constant talk about global warming and the effects humans are having on the planet. But what does it mean to be "green"? "Green" is a symbol for environmentally friendly and is often used as a marketing ploy by businesses to sell more product. It doesn't really mean anything and there are no rules or laws to define the standards a product must reach to get "green" status. Therefore, I believe the introduction of laws to regulate environmental claims is a step in the right direction to correctly informing customers about what they are buying. Take the example mentioned in this article; the claim made by Coopers that it is Australia's greenest beer. It also has the slogan "big beer, tiny footprint" and I argue, what does this mean? There is no context and each person's interpretation of this slogan, including the terms "tiny" and "footprint", will be different. The company offers no explanation of this claim which could so easily influence consumers.

The new laws mentioned in this article would be benficial for us all and would help the average person make informed decisions about their purchases, rather than being mislead by advertising and claims which cannot be backed up with evidence.