5 days ago
Competition Bureau releases final anti-greenwashing guidelines
The government's Competition Bureau website is pictured on a mobile phone and laptop screen in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
GATINEAU — The Competition Bureau has released its final guidelines for anti-greenwashing legislation that came into effect about a year ago.
The bureau says it considered more than 400 submissions as it finalized its guidance, although not all that feedback made its way into the end document.
For instance, it says some suggested the bureau tell businesses exactly what environmental claims they can make and when, but it says the legislation includes no such rules — only that claims must not be false or misleading and must be backed up.
The agency also received suggestions it act beyond its legal authority in some cases, but it says those matters must be left up to the courts or the Competition Tribunal to interpret.
Some commenters argued that the bureau's enforcement of greenwashing provisions should mirror that of securities law, but it says ordinary consumers should be offered different protections than investors.
The bureau says it has taken enforcement action in two environmental claims over the past two years — against coffee-pod maker Keurig and automaker Volkswagen — under deceptive marketing practices provisions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025
The Canadian Press
