Canada’s Competition Bureau to Expedite Guidance on Anti-Greenwashing Rules

Canada’s Competition Bureau has announced plans to accelerate the development of guidelines for interpreting the new provisions in the Competition Act designed to combat greenwashing. This move comes in response to a high volume of requests for clarification on the recent amendments.

The amendments, which became law last month, mandate that companies must be able to substantiate any environmental claims they make to promote their products or business interests. The Bureau emphasized the importance of these regulations in ensuring that environmental marketing claims are truthful and not misleading.

In a statement, the federal watchdog highlighted its commitment to developing the necessary guidance “on an accelerated basis” to address the numerous requests it has received. As part of this effort, the Bureau plans to initiate a public consultation in the coming weeks, inviting stakeholders to provide input on the new guidelines.

The regulatory changes have already had a significant impact on Canadian businesses. Last month, the Pathways Alliance, a group representing Canada’s six largest oil sands companies, removed all content from its website and social media platforms. The consortium cited uncertainty surrounding the new anti-greenwashing rules as the reason for this drastic measure.

The Pathways Alliance expressed concern over the amendments, stating that the changes create significant uncertainty for Canadian companies that aim to publicly communicate their efforts to improve environmental performance. This uncertainty has led to a cautious approach by the group as they await further clarification from the Competition Bureau.

Source: The Globe and Mail