Competition Bureau seeks feedback on new greenwashing provisions

The Competition Bureau launches a public consultation to gather input from Canadians on specific questions related to the new greenwashing provisions of the Competition Act.

This consultation will inform the Bureau’s development of enforcement guidance about environmental claims.

The new provisions about greenwashing were added to the law following a series of amendments that took place on June 20, 2024. Businesses are now required to have testing or substantiation to support certain environmental claims.

The Bureau invites interested parties to provide feedback by September 27, 2024, by emailing greenwashingconsultationecoblanchiment@cb-bc.gc.ca. The submissions will be published on the Bureau’s website unless the provider requests it be kept confidential.

The Bureau also releases a new edition of the Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest that addresses environmental claims. This edition aims to provide a foundation to understand the issues around environmental claims in general and how businesses can comply with the Competition Act.

“The Competition Bureau has received a large number of requests for guidance on the interpretation of new provisions of the Competition Act aimed at greenwashing. Through our consultation on these new provisions, we will provide guidance that will offer transparency and predictability for Canadians,” said Matthew Boswell, commissioner of Competition.