Sustainability claims are coming under renewed scrutiny as businesses seek to use their green and ethical credentials as a selling point. In Europe, new regulations are being implemented to combat greenwashing, and companies have been sanctioned for making false claims in high-profile cases.
ISEAL recently hosted a webinar on claims management as part of its consultation on the draught Code of Good Practice. The workshop examined how the Code intends to ensure that schemes can be relied on to manage claims and that claims made are clear, accurate, and relevant. It solicited feedback from sustainability systems, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders.
The draught Code includes a new chapter on claims management, which outlines the policies and processes that sustainability systems should have in place to ensure the integrity of any claims made and that any claims are supported by evidence.
The draught Code establishes strong links between claims and other areas of good practice, while also updating and integrating ISEAL's existing Codes of Good Practice on Assurance, Impacts, and Standard-Setting. A strong assurance system and a clear approach to traceability, for example, are required for connecting customer-facing claims to performance on the ground, while monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems assist sustainability schemes in substantiating claims with evidence.
“Credible sustainability claims depend on credible systems. We believe the revised Code of Good Practice will help sustainability systems and the businesses that use them to stand out from the crowd with clear, honest claims about their impact. We’re keen to hear what you think, so please send us your feedback,” said ISEAL Innovations Director, Patrick Mallet.
Businesses are encouraged to provide feedback on the draught by participating in our consultation, which is open until December 16.
To find out more and get involved click here.