A corrigendum issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) clarifies the effective date of the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing or Misleading Environmental Claims, 2024. This corrigendum dated December 16, 2024 and January 1, 2025.
The guidelines, designed to combat misleading environmental marketing practices, are now officially in effect as of their publication i.e., October 15, 2024.
The CCPA, exercising its powers under Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, originally released the Greenwashing Guidelines in conjunction with the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisement and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022.
The corrigendum addresses a potential ambiguity regarding the effective date. By inserting a new sub-paragraph (b) into Paragraph 1 of the guidelines, the CCPA explicitly states: “(b) They shall come into force on the date of its publication.” This definitively establishes October 15, 2024, as the enforcement date.
What are Greenwashing Guidelines?
These guidelines aim to prevent businesses from making false or exaggerated claims about the environmental benefits of their products or services. “Greenwashing” refers to the practice of misleading consumers into believing that a company’s products are more environmentally friendly than they actually are.
