WASHINGTON, D.C. — In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) this week sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Linda Khan asking the agency to ensure that any updates to the Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, or “Green Guides,” provide greater clarity for consumers on the environmental impacts of the products they purchase. While the FTC is required to review Green Guides every ten years, the last update was completed in 2012.

The lawmakers wrote: “The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Guide for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (“Green Guides”) update presents a critical opportunity to provide clarity on which consumer packaging reduces environmental impacts and mitigates waste … As such, we commend the FTC for beginning the Green Guides update process, and encourage the agency to take the following comments into consideration.”

They continued: “Specifically, we urge you to ensure the Green Guides address claims made by companies that packaging is made from recycled materials … Additionally, we ask that you provide clear guidance on the standards that must be met for a product to be labeled as ‘recyclable’ … Finally, we feel that more timely updates to the Green Guides are critical in order to reconcile the FTC’s guidance with the realities of a constantly evolving market.”

The full text of the letter is available here.