India Publishes Greenwashing Guidelines

India’s Central Consumer Protection Authority has published the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing or Misleading Environmental Claims, 2024 on October 15, 2024. The guidelines have stipulated provisions for “Greenwashing”, which refers to any deceptive or misleading environmental claims on advertisements. Contents of the guidelines have remained unchanged mostly other than several definitions, when compared to its draft which was previously published in February 2024. According to the press release by the authority, it will work with industry stakeholders and consumer organizations to ensure effective implementation.

A summary of the guidelines is shown below. Changes compared to the draft is shown in RED.