In October 2022 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) undertook a review ("the sweep") of the websites of 247 Australian businesses to assess whether the environmental and sustainability claims being made by these businesses were compliant with Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
The sweep revealed that of the 247 of the businesses reviewed, 57% were making concerning claims.
A concerning claim is a claim that has the potential to mislead consumers. When looking at claims, the sweep focused on what the ordinary consumer would understand the claim to mean. The sweep identified eight key issues where further guidance for both businesses and consumers is needed.
Following the sweep, the ACCC has written a draft guidance for businesses on environmental and sustainability claims, and they are currently seeking feedback from businesses and associations on these guidelines through a series of in person and virtual forums.
APPA was recently invited to attend the forum held in Melbourne on the 17th August 2023 and to make a submission to the ACCC on behalf of the promotional products industry.
There is a tight turnaround on writing the submission and to ensure we represent our members’ views accurately we will be seeking your feedback and insights for the submission via a member survey.
The survey will be sent to members on Thursday 24th of August 2023.
To enable us to meet the deadline we ask that you submit the online survey before the 5th of September 2023.
Members who intend to complete the survey are advised to read a summary of additional background information on the ACCC and the sweep.
