About Greenwashing:
- What is it? It is the process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company’s products are environmentally sound.
- Greenwashing involves making an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly or have a greater positive environmental impact than they actually do.
- In addition, greenwashing may occur when a company attempts to emphasize sustainable aspects of a product to overshadow its involvement in environmentally damaging practices.
- Companies can also greenwash initiatives with vague claims that don't provide real data or scientific validation for the claims.
- For example, a car vendor claims that a vehicle is eco-friendly because it is more fuel-efficient while failing to mention or consider the larger industrial impact of vehicle manufacturing on the environment.
Key Facts about the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI):
- It is a voluntary self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in India.
- Established in 1985, ASCI is registered as a non-profit company under Section 25 of the Company Act.
- It comprises members from marketing, creative, media, and allied companies in India.
- It is committed to the cause of self-regulation in advertising, ensuring the protection of the interests of consumers.
- ASCI seeks to ensure that advertisements conform to its Code for Self-Regulation, which requires advertisements to be legal, decent, honest, truthful, and not hazardous or harmful while observing fairness in competition.
- It looks into complaints across all media, such as Print, TV, Radio, hoardings, SMS, Emailers, Internet/website, product packaging, brochures, promotional material, and point-of-sale material, etc.
- It is a part of the Executive Committee of the International Council on Ad Self-Regulation (ICAS).