{"id":16424,"date":"2024-06-21T13:47:42","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T18:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cqde.org\/news\/environmental-health-groups-welcome-new-rules-greenwashing\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T13:06:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T18:06:20","slug":"environmental-health-groups-welcome-new-rules-greenwashing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cqde.org\/en\/news\/environmental-health-groups-welcome-new-rules-greenwashing\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental and health groups welcome new rules to clamp down on greenwashing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Ecojustice, \u00c9quiterre, and the Quebec Environmental Law Center welcome the passage into law of new greenwashing provisions in <\/span>Bill C-59<\/span><\/a>, which aims to tackle the problem of greenwashing in Canada by introducing tougher rules on companies who make environmental claims. These changes are a response to concerns that greenwashing is a systemic problem in Canada \u2014 with companies misleading consumers about their green credentials to attract more business and investments and slow down the adoption of regulations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new rules \u2014 contained in amendments to the federal <\/span>Competition Act<\/span><\/i> \u2014 aim to protect consumers and genuinely green businesses by requiring companies to back up their environmental claims. Thanks to cross-party collaboration with environmental and health groups, several amendments were introduced which expanded the scope of the Bill so that it applies not just to claims about products, but also to claims about companies and their activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

These changes should make it easier for the Competition Bureau \u2014 <\/span>which is currently investigating <\/span><\/a>a number of high-profile greenwashing complaints<\/span> \u2014 to do its job more effectively. Crucially, the Bill will also arm ordinary consumers with a way to enforce these rules by taking complaints directly to the Competition Tribunal, easing the enforcement burden on the Competition Bureau.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By making all environmental claims more credible, the Bill will help address consumer skepticism and allow leading firms to reap the rewards of their investments in sustainability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The impact of the Bill is already being felt \u2014 the new threat of federal fines is reported<\/span> to have led to the Alberta government closing the Alberta Energy \u201cWar Room\u201d earlier this week, while Pathways Alliance, a coalition of big Canadian oil sands companies currently under investigation by the Competition Bureau for its \u201cLet\u2019s clean the air\u201d net-zero claims, has silenced its website and social media accounts in response.<\/span> These immediate impacts are leaving groups hopeful for more accountability from corporations in the oil and gas industry, and beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the new rules are not limited to any one industry and could have an impact across the Canadian economy, where commonly used but controversial claims such as \u201cnet zero,\u201d “carbon neutral\u201d and \u201csustainable\u201d will come under closer scrutiny.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Ecojustice, \u00c9quiterre, and the Quebec Environmental Law Center (CQDE) welcome the significant progress made by the updates to the <\/span>Competition Act<\/span><\/i> and call for further action to protect consumers, support green innovation and reinforce a sustainable competitive economy:<\/span><\/p>\n