MAY 8, 2009: Defra is to host free workshops to help advertisers and marketing professionals understand how to ‘go green’ with products they promote.
The workshops – which will also be hosted by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) – are aimed at encouraging businesses to contribute to the new Green Claims Code, which will help ensure truthful and transparent claims are made about products’ environmental credentials. Hamish Pringle, director general at the IPA, said the initiative was an opportunity for businesses to get to grips with a topic at the very top of the corporate agenda. ‘This is an ideal opportunity for senior agency managers and their clients to make their views known in a forum where they will be heard, and acted upon,’ he said. Defra has been working with the IPA and ISBA to create the programme, which will ensure advertisers understand and can navigate terminologies used, and turn them into accurate and understandable claims to consumers. Ian Twinn, director of public affairs at the ISBA, said the workshops were constructive and timely. ‘We all want business to be able to make green claims, but the area is complicated,’ he explained. ‘Misleading green claims help no-one, but we need to move from accusing people, to helping them get it right. I believe the sessions will help to do that and deserve the support of all who use, or might use, green claims in marketing.’ To register for the workshops, being held in London and Manchester between Tuesday, May 12 and Friday, May 22, visit www.wallacespace.com/22dukeroad_map.html for London venues and www.urbis.org.uk/corpevents.asp for Manchester.
