FTC Green Guides summary
The Green Guides are the FTC’s views on environmental marketing claims. The CFR text is the 2012 revision
Direct answer. The FTC Green Guides, 16 CFR Part 260, are the Federal Trade Commission’s views on how environmental marketing claims avoid being deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The text in the Code of Federal Regulations reviewed here is the 2012 revision. Section 260.1(a) of the 2025 annual edition (title 16, volume 1, revised as of January 1, 2025) says: “These guides set forth the Federal Trade Commission’s current views about environmental claims. The guides help marketers avoid making environmental marketing claims that are unfair or deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 45.” The FTC’s Green Guides topic page says the Guides “were first issued in 1992 and were revised in 1996, 1998, and 2012.” This page is not legal advice.
Green Claims Guard (Shopify App Store · Write a review) scans green marketing wording, reviews possible issues, and exports dated evidence records for Shopify catalog and content review. The listing does not say it checks the Green Guides.
Related: CLPLens — Hazard pictograms on the product page, not only the parcel.
Free check first: Green claim wording check runs in your browser and sends nothing. Paste marketing copy and see which environmental words it uses.
Checklist before you treat a green claim as covered
- Read § 260.1(a) for what the guides are, and what they do not do: they do not confer rights and do not bind the FTC or the public.
- Use the section that matches the word on the page. A general benefit claim is § 260.4. Recycled content is § 260.13, on the percent guide and pre-consumer vs post-consumer.
- Quote numbers only as the CFR prints them. Two are below: “at least 60 percent” in § 260.12(b)(1), and the one-year unqualified degradable discussion in § 260.8(c).
- The review status is the Federal Register documents cited below, plus the source note in the CFR. This page does not guess a later outcome.
- Made in USA is a different FTC rule: Made in USA claims.
Review status
The source note in the 2025 CFR edition says: “77 FR 62124, Oct. 11, 2012, unless otherwise noted.” On December 20, 2022, the FTC requested public comment in a regulatory review. The summary of Federal Register 2022-27558 says: “Pursuant to its decennial regulatory review schedule, the Federal Trade Commission (‘FTC’ or ‘Commission’) requests public comment on its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (‘Green Guides’ or ‘Guides’).”
Federal Register documents retrieved for this title also include a February 6, 2023 extension of that comment period and a March 7, 2023 public workshop notice on recyclable claims. A search of FTC documents of type Rule for “Environmental Marketing Claims” returned no documents. The texts reviewed show the 2012 Guides still in the CFR. This page does not state that revised Guides have been issued, and it does not guess a date or an outcome.
Section map
Each line is the opening sentence of that section in the 2025 CFR XML, except § 260.3, which is the sentence that introduces the principles. The same part also contains § 260.2 (interpretation and substantiation) and § 260.11 (ozone-safe and ozone-friendly claims). They are not in the table.
| Section | Line from the CFR text |
|---|---|
| § 260.3 General principles | The following general principles apply to all environmental marketing claims, including those described in §§ 260.4 through 240.16. |
| § 260.4 General environmental benefit claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product, package, or service offers a general environmental benefit. |
| § 260.5 Carbon offsets | Given the complexities of carbon offsets, sellers should employ competent and reliable scientific and accounting methods to properly quantify claimed emission reductions and to ensure that they do not sell the same reduction more than one time. |
| § 260.6 Certifications and seals of approval | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product, package, or service has been endorsed or certified by an independent third party. |
| § 260.7 Compostable claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is compostable. |
| § 260.8 Degradable claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is degradable, biodegradable, oxo-degradable, oxo-biodegradable, or photodegradable. |
| § 260.9 Free-of claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product, package, or service is free of, or does not contain or use, a substance. |
| § 260.10 Non-toxic claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product, package, or service is non-toxic. |
| § 260.12 Recyclable claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is recyclable. |
| § 260.13 Recycled content claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is made of recycled content. |
| § 260.14 Refillable claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a package is refillable. |
| § 260.15 Renewable energy claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is made with renewable energy or that a service uses renewable energy. |
| § 260.16 Renewable materials claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package is made with renewable materials. |
| § 260.17 Source reduction claims | It is deceptive to misrepresent, directly or by implication, that a product or package has been reduced or is lower in weight, volume, or toxicity. |
The § 260.3 cross-reference is printed in that XML as “§§ 260.4 through 240.16.” Compostable and biodegradable wording on a product page is a separate guide.
Two figures the CFR states
Section 260.12(b)(1) says: “The term ‘substantial majority,’ as used in this context, means at least 60 percent.” The sentence before it says that when recycling facilities are available to a substantial majority of consumers or communities where the item is sold, marketers can make unqualified recyclable claims.
Section 260.8(c) says: “It is deceptive to make an unqualified degradable claim for items entering the solid waste stream if the items do not completely decompose within one year after customary disposal.” The same paragraph says unqualified degradable claims for items that are customarily disposed in landfills, incinerators, and recycling facilities are deceptive because these locations do not present conditions in which complete decomposition will occur within one year.
An unqualified “eco-friendly” badge
An unqualified “eco-friendly” badge is a general environmental benefit claim under § 260.4. The example in that section says: “The brand name ‘Eco-friendly’ likely conveys that the product has far-reaching environmental benefits and may convey that the product has no negative environmental impact. Because it is highly unlikely that the marketer can substantiate these claims, the use of such a brand name is deceptive.” Recycled-content wording is not repeated here. Read recycled-content percent and pre-consumer vs post-consumer.
EU and UK pages, and Made in USA
The EU enactment summarized on this site is the EmpCo directive summary. A recyclable-claim note under that directive is EmpCo recyclable claims. The UK page is the CMA Green Claims Code. Those are separate texts. This page does not compare them. Made in USA is a different FTC rule.
What this page is not
- Not a statement that the Guides have been revised after 2012. The texts reviewed do not show that.
- Not a comment count, a fee, or a penalty.
- Not a check that catalog wording meets the Guides. The app scans wording and exports records.
Related pages
- Green claim wording check — which environmental words pasted copy uses
- Recycled-content percent claims
- Pre-consumer vs post-consumer recycled content
- Compostable and biodegradable claims
- EmpCo recyclable claims
- green claims
- EmpCo directive summary
- UK Green Claims Code
- Made in USA claims
- 16 CFR Part 260, 2025 edition
- FTC: Green Guides
- Federal Register 2022-27558
- Green Claims Guard — live App Store listing
- Shopify apps hub
- Tools
Not legal advice. Confirm the live CFR text of 16 CFR Part 260 and the FTC topic page before you treat a claim as consistent with the Guides. The app scans wording and exports dated records. It does not decide that a claim meets the Guides.