Use of environmental claims

Environmental claims are powerful marketing tools but can easily mislead consumers if not used carefully. Companies have legal obligations to ensure claims are honest, accurate, substantiated and reflect total impacts.

4tomorrow goes to great lengths to guarantee the accuracy and transparency of our work, and the use of sustainability claims by you based on our work is very important. There are key criteria covered by Australian Consumer Law.

Truthfulness & Accuracy

• Total emissions footprint across all scopes and operations must be considered when making “carbon neutral” or 100% emissions reduction claims.
• Offset usage and retirement must demonstrably match reported emissions volumes any emissions exclusions but be clearly identified with a reason. 
• Changes in emissions over time should reflect true performance improvements, not shifting inventories or boundaries.

Substantiating Claims  

• Clear audit trails validating emissions totals, quantification methodologies and offset volumes must be maintainable.
• Carbon accounting should adhere to accepted GHG Protocol standards; any deviations must have technical justification.
• Public reporting should disclose all relevant data sources, assumptions, estimation techniques and calculation methods.

Consumer Scrutiny

• Welcome stakeholder inspection requests around inventory accounting specifics and offset project details.
• Marketing claims must accurately reflect the scope of certified climate action e.g. organisation vs. product-level.

Compliance Proof Points

• Regular independent verification checks on inventories and methodologies
• Prompt remediation of identified non-conformances or required improvements in climate reporting