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SUSTAINABILITY
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Guide

SUSTAINABILITY
CLAIMS THAT HOLD UP.

Reference

Environmental claims moved from marketing to regulation. Several jurisdictions now require substantiation for exactly the phrases that were standard copy five years ago, and unsupported claims are enforced against the seller rather than the agency that wrote them.

The words that now need evidence

"Carbon neutral", "eco-friendly", "recyclable", "biodegradable" and "sustainable" all carry specific regulatory meanings in one market or another. The safest claims are the specific ones, because a specific claim can be proved.

  • Prefer "made with 60% recycled polyester" to "eco-friendly"
  • Recyclable usually means recyclable where the customer lives, not in principle
  • Offsetting claims face the most scrutiny and the least tolerance

Extended producer responsibility

A growing number of jurisdictions make the producer financially responsible for packaging and end-of-life. It is a registration and a fee, it applies to sellers into the market rather than only those based there, and it is enforced.

Supply-chain due diligence

Import rules in several markets now require evidence about the conditions goods were made under, not a declaration. The obligation lands on the importer, and evidence is gathered upstream long before a shipment.

Circular models are commercial, not decorative

Repair, resale, trade-in and swap keep goods in use and produce a second margin on inventory already paid for. The protocol supports these as loops with real records, which is what makes a resale claim checkable rather than asserted.

Where to go next
/loops/loops/repair/loops/resale/compliance/certifications
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