1、PLUS 14021 Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers Developed in partnership with Legal NoticeThis document is provided by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) as a convenience only. The opinions in this document are the opinions of the author(s) and not the opinions of CSA. Di
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13、stitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Legal Notice.CSA Special Publication PLUS 14021 Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers Registered trade-mark of Canadian Standards Association Published in June 2008 by Canadian Standards Association A not-for-profit pr
14、ivate sector organization 5060 Spectrum Way, Suite 100, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4W 5N6 1-800-463-6727 416-747-4044 Visit our Online Store at www.ShopCSA.ca ISBN 978-1-55436-770-2 Technical Editors: Ahmad Husseini, Rita Mezei, Canadian Standards Association Assisted by Lynn M. Leclair, Competit
15、ion Bureau Canada Canadian Standards Association 2008 Canadian Standards Association Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers June 2008 iii Contents Preface v 1 Introduction 1 1.1 General 1 1.2 How to use this Guide 2 1.3 The global growth of environmental labelling 3 1.4 History o
16、f environmental labelling guidance documents in Canada 3 2 Applicable acts 4 2.1 General 4 2.2 Competition Act 4 2.3 Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act 5 2.4 Textile Labelling Act 5 3 Overall considerations 5 3.1 Verification3.2 Legislative requirements 6 3.3 Life cycle analysis3.4 Environmental i
17、mprovement3.5 Objective of CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 7 4 General requirements for all claims 7 4.1 Basic considerations4.2 Relationship with CAN/CSA-ISO 14020 7 4.3 Specifics of CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 8 4.4 Vague and non-specific claims 9 4.5 Claims of “.free” 10 4.6 Claims of sustainability 11 4.7 Use of explan
18、atory statements 12 5 Specific requirements 12 6 Symbols 21 6.1 General 21 6.2 Use of symbols for different environmental claims 22 6.3 Symbol for implementation of an environmental management system 22 6.4 Use of natural objects in symbols 22 6.5 Other information or claims 23 7 The Mobius loop 24
19、8 Evaluations and claim verification 26 8.1 Responsibilities of the claimant 26 8.2 Selection of evaluation and claim verification methods 27 8.3 Access to information 28 9 Comparative claims 29 10 Details of selected claims defined in CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 30 10.1 General 30 10.2 Compostable 32 PLUS 14
20、021 Canadian Standards Association iv June 2008 10.3 Degradable 35 10.4 Designed for disassembly 37 10.5 Extended life product 39 10.6 Recovered energy 40 10.7 Recyclable 42 10.8 Recycled content 44 10.9 Reduced energy consumption 48 10.10 Reduced resource use 49 10.11 Reduced water consumption 51 1
21、0.12 Reusable and refillable 52 10.13 Waste reduction 55 Figure 1 Examples of the Mobius loop 24 Annexes Annex A Environmental labels and declarations, and the ISO 14000 Series 57 Annex B Principles for all environmental labels and declarations 58 Annex C Simplified diagrammatic representation of a
22、recycling system 59 Annex D Bibliography 60 Canadian Standards Association Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers June 2008 v Preface This is the second edition of CSA Special Publication PLUS 14021, Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers. It supersedes the pr
23、evious edition published in 2000, entitled The CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 Essentials. The first objective of this Guide is to provide the users of ISO 14021, Environmental labels and declarations Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labelling), with a best practice guide to the applicati
24、on of the standard and some practical examples of how the standard could be applied to environmental claims in the Canadian marketplace. The second objective is to provide assistance to industry and advertisers in complying with certain provisions of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and L
25、abelling Act, and the Textile Labelling Act, administered and enforced by the Competition Bureau, an independent agency that contributes to the prosperity of Canadians by protecting and promoting competitive markets and enabling informed consumer choice. To achieve both of these objectives, the Bure
26、au has partnered with CSA on this edition to ensure it is offered free of charge to the public and will serve both as an aid to interpreting CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 and as a best practice guide to complying with the provisions of the above statutes that prohibit false or misleading representations. Adhere
27、nce to the advice contained in this Guide on environmental claims will enhance the provision of meaningful information to consumers and will assist industry by providing “best practices” for self-declared environmental claims. This Guide provides examples of preferred approaches and discouraged appr
28、oaches to illustrate commonly used environmental claims; shows how to avoid misleading or deceptive claims relating to an implied or expressed environmental benefit; establishes the guidelines for Mobius loop markings; and suggests methodologies for tests that can be used to clarify claims. This Gui
29、de is primarily based on CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 and thus supersedes Principles and Guidelines for Environmental Labelling and Advertising (PGELA), published by Industry and Science Canada in 1993. This Guide is not a regulation. The Competition Bureau considers that the guidelines advocated in this docum
30、ent reflect “best practices”. While the Bureau supports the use of voluntary standards, which encourage conformity with the laws and regulations, businesses are free to adopt any business practice they so choose, as long as the claims they are making are not false or misleading. Therefore, while the
31、 Competition Bureau will use this Guide as a reference for evaluating environmental claims, deviations from the Guide might not, in and of themselves, represent a contravention of the Competition Act and/or the labelling statutes enforced by the Competition Bureau. Environmental claims that raise co
32、ncerns under these statutes may be examined on a case-by-case basis, and each case will be assessed on its own merits. If the principles and specific requirements of CAN/CSA-ISO 14021 as recommended in this Guide are complied with, it is unlikely that environmental claims used in the promotion of a
33、product/service or business interest would raise concerns under the statutes administered by the Competition Bureau. The examples of misleading or deceptive claims provided in this Guide are not binding statements of how discretion may be exercised in a particular situation. Guidance may be requeste
34、d from the Competition Bureau through its Program of Advisory Opinions. Businesses may opt to seek a binding written opinion under this program to determine whether a proposed environmental claim would raise concerns under the Competition Act. June 2008 Notes: (1) Use of the singular does not exclud
35、e the plural (and vice versa) when the sense allows. (2) Although the intended primary application of this Guide is stated in its Introduction, it is important to note that it remains the responsibility of the users of the Guide to judge its suitability for their particular purpose. PLUS 14021 Canad
36、ian Standards Association vi June 2008 (3) Regulatory enquiries regarding regulatory compliance should be addressed to the Competition Bureau. Anyone wishing to obtain additional information about the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, and the Textile Labelling Act should con
37、tact the Competition Bureaus Information Centre at Information Centre, Competition Bureau Canada 50 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Qubec K1A 0C9 National Capital Region: 819-997-4282 Toll-free: 1-800-348-5358 TDD (hearing impaired): 1-800-642-3844 Fax: 819-997-0324 Email: compbureaucb-bc.gc.ca Web site:
38、 petitionbureau.gc.ca. (4) All enquiries regarding this publication should be directed to the Canadian Standards Association, 5060 Spectrum Way, Suite 100, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L4W 5N6. Requests for interpretation should (a) define the problem, making reference to the specific clause, and, w
39、here appropriate, include an illustrative sketch; (b) provide an explanation of circumstances surrounding the actual field condition; and (c) be phrased where possible to permit a specific “yes“ or “no“ answer. Committee interpretations are processed in accordance with the CSA Directives and guideli
40、nes governing standardization and are published in CSAs periodical, Info Update, which is available on the CSA Web site at www.csa.ca. Canadian Standards Association Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers June 2008 1 PLUS 14021 Environmental claims: A guide for industry and adver
41、tisers 1 Introduction 1.1 General Canadian consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental performance of products. For example, consumers are concerned about the resources and energy used to produce products, and about the sustainability of the product design (can it be reused
42、 or recycled? is it biodegradable? is it made of recycled materials?) among other issues. This has led to an increased demand for environmental information about products from consumers, government, and industry. Industries may choose to communicate environmental benefits through environmental label
43、ling and use advertising vehicles to promote these benefits. There are a wide range of descriptors, logos, vignettes, and other representations used to describe or imply environmental claims for consumer products. This means of communicating environmental claims is often called “green marketing”. En
44、vironmental claims allow consumers to more easily differentiate between products in the market, so consumers can make better purchasing decisions in relation to the environment. In turn, consumers purchasing power for such products is a market driver for business to invest in more sustainable enviro
45、nmental practices. Environmental claims, declarations, eco-logos, and other eco-labels have a number of characteristics that allow the receiver to distinguish one kind from another. Eco-labels may be self-managed or third-party-managed; verified in-house or independently verified and/or certified; b
46、ased on the product life cycle or a single attribute; available for single or multiple sectors product categories; and designed to demonstrate environmental leadership, relative performance, or just provide information. The value of environmental claims rests on the assurance that the information pr
47、ovided is credible, objective, and easily identifiable and understood by consumers. Standards play an important role in providing guidance to ensure responsible claims in industry and advertising. Standards for environmental claims benefit consumers, industry, and advertisers by providing a level pl
48、aying field and consistency in terms and application. They also provide continual improvement through the maintenance of a standards program that is updated as environmental practices and scientific information evolve. The ISO 14020 Series of Standards on environmental labels and declarations has be
49、en developed to help in this regard. This series comprises Type 1 eco-logo labels (CAN/CSA-ISO 14024), Type II self-declared environmental claims (CAN/CSA-ISO 14021), and Type III environmental profile declarations (CAN/CSA-ISO 14025). Those making claims of conformity with the standards for all three types of labels are required to consider the impact of the life cycle of the product or service on the environment and be able to support the claim with verifiable data. Type I eco-logo labels, which are independently verified by a third p
