By Andrew H. Perellis, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: For companies in the freight industry, if sustainability is important at your company or to its board of directors, then you may wish to investigate the EPA’s updated Smartway program, with its new resources and tools.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program has recently
Continue Reading EPA Updates and Republishes SmartWay Freight Transportation Sustainability Program
By Andrew H. Perellis and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: Companies that make “all natural” claims for their products may come under FTC scrutiny and enforcement.
The Federal Trade Commission announced five cases this week with companies that market their products as “all natural” or “100% natural,” alleging deceptive use of those phrases in ads for skincare products, shampoos, styling
Continue Reading FTC Asks – Are Your “All Natural” Claims All Accurate?
By Ilana R. Morady, Meagan Newman, and Craig B. Simonsen
Last week the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent warning letters to providers of environmental certification seals, and to businesses using those seals, alerting them to the Commission’s concerns that the seals “could be considered deceptive and may not comply with the FTC’s environmental marketing guidelines.”
In the FTC’s news
Continue Reading Be Careful About What you Claim – Or Fail to Claim – FTC Sends Green Guides Warning Letters
By Ilana R. Morady, Meagan Newman, and Craig B. Simonsen
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced this week the “Safer Choice” label, indicating that Safer Choice helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that perform well and are safer for human health and the environment.
We had blogged last year that EPA’s Office of Inspector General
Continue Reading EPA Unveils the Safer Choice Label
By James L. Curtis and Meagan Newman
Traceability, according to the June 2014 guide published by the U.N. Global Compact and sustainability advisory firm BSR, means: “The ability to identify and trace the history, distribution, location and application of products, parts and materials, to ensure the reliability of sustainability claims, in the areas of human rights, labor (including health and
Continue Reading Traceability: What Does it Mean for Your Business?
By Ilana R. Morady and Craig B. Simonsen
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General has just released a report on an evaluation of the EPA’s “Design for the Environment” (DfE) Program. At A Glance, No. 14-P-0349 (September 9, 2014). The Inspector General found flaws in the current DfE logo, including that it improperly implied an EPA
Continue Reading EPA Inspector General Finds Issues with EPA’s “Design for the Environment” Program
By Ilana R. Morady and Craig B. Simonsen
In November 2013 EPA released its Draft Guidelines for Product Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Voluntary Use in Federal Procurement for public comment. The public comment period has now been extended until April 25, 2014.
The Guidelines are the Agency’s criteria for assessing private sector standards and ecolabels in order to
Continue Reading EPA Extends Comment Deadline for Draft Guidelines for Product Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels
Lawrence Moss and Scott Schonfeld recently published a client alert on the City of Chicago’s new Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance. Chapter 18-14.
Chicago now joins several other major municipalities which have adopted similar legislation, including New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Boston, and San Francisco. Subject to limited exceptions, and staggered reporting obligations, the Ordinance broadly requires
Continue Reading Mandatory Energy Benchmarking Ordinance
By Patrick D. Joyce, Philip L. Comella, and William R. Schubert
Illinois and California, two states that passed major pieces of legislation governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) earlier this year, have just released drafts of the regulations that will implement their new laws.
What are the major issues? While the two States’ schemes are not identical (please see our previous
Continue Reading Draft Fracking Regs Are Out In Illinois and California
By Ilana R. Morady and Meagan Newman
The Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement of green marketing violations is in full swing.
Last year, the agency published final changes to its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, commonly known as the “Green Guides.” We had previously blogged in some detail concerning the revisions. Now, with the revised Green Guides
Continue Reading FTC Aggressively Enforcing Improper “Green” Claims