Green claims checklist: review environmental claims before publishing
A simple approval process for marketing, sustainability and management.
Before an environmental claim is published it should pass seven questions. The checklist helps teams review claims consistently and document the evidence.
The seven test questions
- 1. Is the claim concrete (what, how much, since when, for what)?
- 2. Is there current, documented evidence?
- 3. Does it refer to the whole product or company, or only to a part – and is that clear?
- 4. Is offsetting presented as a reduction?
- 5. Does a label rest on independent third-party certification?
- 6. Do future targets come with a verifiable transition plan?
- 7. Is a legal obligation advertised as something special?
Documenting evidence
- Keep evidence in one place: certificates, measured data, contracts, reports.
- Record validity dates so expiring evidence is noticed.
- Link every claim to its source and its evidence.
Approving in the team
- Define roles: who drafts, who reviews, who approves?
- Track status: open, in progress, done.
- Review regularly, for example at a website relaunch or a new campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Does the checklist replace a legal review?
No. It provides orientation and structures internal approval.
Who should be involved in the approval process?
Usually marketing, the person responsible for sustainability and an approving body, for example management.
Get your claims assessed
Start with the free relevance check or try VERDAI for 7 days.
VERDAI is an independent orientation tool and does not replace legal advice.
What to prioritise during approval
Future, offsetting and carbon statements particularly often show a high action need in the monitor.
68.3%
red rating for future claims
87.3%
red for offsetting claims
70.6%
red for carbon claims
6,048
generic-claim triggers
Descriptive VERDAI dataset: 38,720 statements from 177 organisations and 345 domains. The findings are not representative of the market as a whole. The traffic light indicates communication and action needs, not a legal judgment.
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