FTC issues revised green marketing solutions

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Trade Commission is releasing an updated version of its green marketing guidelines that aim to hold companies to truthful standards in touting the environmental friendliness of their products.

The revision to the Green Guides is the first since 1998, when phrases like "carbon offset" and "renewable energy" were not widely used.

The revisions include some changes to the proposed guidelines that the FTC circulated in October 2010. New sections address the use of carbon offsets, "green" certifications and seals, as well as renewable energy and renewable materials claims.

Among the updates, the guides warn marketers not to make broad, unqualified claims that their products are environmentally friendly or eco-friendly.

The FTC said "very few products, if any" deliver the far-reaching environmental benefits that consumers associate with such claims.