SAC explores how to communicate green data with consumers

In August, the SAC met with the Norwegian Consumer Authority (NCA) for an open and constructive discussion, centered on the transparency program designed to test and improve how brands can communicate environmental information to consumers to prevent “greenwashing”. to prevent.

It comes after the SAC halted its consumer-focused transparency program, Higg, following a backlash from the NCA, which claimed the program was leading to misleading environmental claims from brands.

The Norwegian Consumer Protection Agency (Forbrukertilsynet) warned clothing retailers H&M Group and Norrøna in June about “misleading environmental claims”, adding that their use of the Higg index as a tool to support their environmental claims is insufficient.

It said it believed Norrøna was breaking the law by marketing clothes as eco-friendly and warned H&M Group against using the same type of environmental claims. The Norwegian Consumer Agency concluded that SAC’s tool “is not sufficient as a basis for the environmental claims they have used in marketing”.

In her update, SAC CEO Amina Razvi said the meeting between the two parties was “positive and constructive”.

She added, “Both parties agreed that providing consumers with accurate, trustworthy, and well-founded product-specific information should be the ultimate goal for consumer-facing information. This will ensure that the changes needed to move the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future are accelerated as quickly as possible.”

Razvi also said the NCA clarified “that there is no blanket prohibition on using global averages in marketing, but that claims in general and specifically based on Higg MSI data must be adequately documented and qualified.”

“We will continue to work with the NCA over the coming months to agree on a further path for consumer-facing environmental information. This includes working with other consumer protection agencies around the world to align with a set of key principles that will help drive a harmonized and clear approach to communicating environmental claims.”

In a statement on his website, Higg said it was gratifying to see that the Norwegian Consumer Authority (NCA) is working with other global consumer authorities to align with a number of key principles to drive a harmonized and clear approach to communicating environmental claims.

“Higg believes consumers need the information to take urgent action on climate change and only through a consistent approach can the insights provided through the Higg platform be meaningful and enable impact reduction.

“Higg’s mission is to provide companies with the tools and data they need to address the environmental and social impacts in their value chains. The recent pause in the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s transparency pilot program has not impacted in any way business use of the Higg Index tools hosted on the Higg Platform.

“Only by working together can solutions for consistent consumer-oriented environmental information be achieved. The collaborative effort between the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the NCA is a powerful example of how stakeholders can come together to proactively address the impacts of climate change.”