The Competition Bureau is launching a public consultation to gather feedback from Canadians on specific questions related to the new greenwashing provisions of the Competition Act.

The provisions were added to the law following a series of amendments that took place on June 20, 2024, following Royal Assent of Bill C- 59, the Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act. Businesses are now required to have testing or substantiation to support certain environmental claims.

This consultation will inform the Bureau’s development of enforcement guidance about environmental claims, including related to the new provisions.

“The Competition Bureau has received a large number of requests for guidance on the interpretation of new provisions of the Competition Act aimed at greenwashing,” said Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell. “Through our consultation on these new provisions, we will provide guidance that will offer transparency and predictability for Canadians.”

The Bureau also released a new edition of the Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest that addresses environmental claims. This edition aims to provide a foundation to understand the issues around environmental claims in general and how businesses can comply with the provisions of the Competition Act already in place prior to the amendments.

Interested parties are asked to provide feedback on the consultation questions  by September 27, 2024, by emailing greenwashingconsultationecoblanchiment@cb-bc.gc.ca. Each submission will be published on the Bureau’s website unless the provider requests that it be kept confidential.