Canada’s Competition Bureau announced this week that it intends to accelerate its development of guidance on the interpretation of new provisions aimed at greenwashing.
The new provisions were passed as amendments to the Competition Act in June, and they require companies to be able to substantiate any environmental claims used to promote a product or business interest.
Since the amendments were passed, the Competition Bureau has said it’s received a large number of requests for guidance to interpret these new provisions.
The bureau announced on Thursday that it intends to develop guidance about these provisions through consulting a broad range of stakeholders, as well as through a public consultation it intends to launch in the coming weeks.
Ahead of its consultations, the bureau is welcoming comments on any of the recent amendments through an online Guidance Feedback Form.
The amendments to the Competition Act became law following the passage of Bill C-59. Claims about the environmental benefits of a product must now be supported by adequate and proper testing, and claims about the environmental benefits of a business or business activity must be based on adequate and proper substantiation in accordance with internationally recognized methodology.
