Consumer confusion around terms like ‘compostable’ and ‘biodegradable’ have led to updated guidance for green claims that relate to packaging. By David Burrows.
For lunch yesterday I had soup. (Butternut squash with chillies, if you’re interested). The little pot it came in was clearly labelled “100% biodegradable & compostable”. Such claims about the ‘biodegradability’ of packaging have been a bugbear of mine for years. I am not alone.
The Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) has been particularly critical of the term ‘biodegradable’ when used in association with packaging; and has highlighted cases in which the attribute is taken out of context – such as on cups labelled ‘biodegradable and compostable’ – when the biodegradation is actually part of the industrial composting process.
“There need to be stronger rules about the use of the term ‘biodegradable’ in all communications,” says FPA executive director Martin Kersh, “but we would go further in proposing it shouldn’t be used at all – unless it is evidenced and placed correctly in context”.
Context has become key for making green claims, and this week the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) called for clarity from those making claims about how packaging and other products can be disposed of. “We’re calling on advertisers to make sure they’re using green disposal terms clearly so consumers can make informed decisions about how to responsibly and effectively dispose of waste,” the ASA said.
This follows ASA research showing how confused the public is about the terms used to promote ‘greener’ packaging. Focus groups showed there is “blind acceptance” of claims like ‘recyclable’ and ‘compostable’, especially when they are associated with packaging or products used by smaller companies. Most people appear to have an “oversimplified understanding” of how such packaging is actually disposed of, and the processes involved, the ASA explained during a webinar on the topic this week.
The ASA has updated its guidance (section 3.1) to reflect the findings. Terms like ‘recycled’, ‘recyclable’, ‘compostable’ and ‘biodegradable’ will now require qualification. This means for example detailing which parts of the packaging are recyclable (the labels and lid as well as the actual bottle?), and where they are recycled (consumers were also miffed that some claims like “recyclable” were only true if they went to the extra mile to drop them off at specific points).
Adverts must also distinguish between ‘home compostable’ and ‘industrially compostable’. Failing to provide information on the time taken for the packaging to compost or biodegrade is also likely to see advertisers fall foul of the ASA’s compliance rules.
Indeed, the ASA is giving companies time to read and understand the new guidelines before it starts monitoring these claims (which it now also does proactively using AI). The authority is also checking carbon neutral and net-zero claims, which were also the subject of research and updated guidance earlier this year (consumers are similarly confused about those terms too).
So, will the maker of my soup have to change its packaging? It’s not an advert so the ASA won’t be checking it (that’s for Trading Standards). But there is a chance that the term ‘biodegradable’ could soon start to disappear as companies attempt to verify and quantify such claims.
And as the regulatory net closes further on all green claims, will more companies simply stay silent? That isn’t the intention of these interventions, according to the ASA. “We really don’t want the regulation that we deliver in this area to have a chilling effect on businesses’ appetite for talking about their sustainable initiatives,” said CEO Guy Parker during the webinar. “We’re big believers that there’s actually a big space to play between greenwashing and greenhushing, but it requires a lot of thought and attention and it requires businesses to invest in learning more about what the pitfalls are in this area.”
