Reviewing environmental claims before you publish
Your marketing team has drafted a line saying the event is green, and you need to know whether the records support it.
The short answer
Review each environmental statement line by line before it is published: what exactly does it say, which record supports it, what is its status, and what is left out. Where the records do not support the wording, narrow it to what was counted or remove it.
Whether a statement meets advertising, consumer or competition rules is a question for a competent adviser, and you should ask it before publishing. Your own review checks wording against the evidence log and the status in the benefit evidence tracker.
Where claims appear
Check the website, registration page, programme, signage, sponsor decks, social posts, speaker introductions, press releases and the post-event report.
Include claims made about the event by suppliers or sponsors in your name, such as a sponsor describing your event as carbon neutral.
Test each statement
| Draft wording | Question to ask | Supported by | Safer wording, if the record supports it |
|---|---|---|---|
| A green event | Green in what respect? Measured how? | Nothing specific | Remove, or name the measured actions |
| We reduced printing | Compared with what? By how much? | Invoices for this year and last year | We printed 30 programmes this year, against 250 last year |
| Zero waste | Who measured all waste streams? | Rarely any record | Remove; report the streams you counted |
| Carbon neutral | Which calculation, method and scope, by whom? | Needs a competent party and method | Do not use unless a competent party supports the exact wording |
| Our caterer is sustainable | What does the caterer say, in writing? | Supplier's statement, not verified | The caterer told us it serves coffee in reusable cups |
Question pack for the competent adviser
- Which of these statements could be read as an environmental claim, and what would a reader take from them?
- What evidence does this wording need before we publish it?
- Does any wording need qualifying, such as limits, scope or date?
- Do certification names, logos or labels carry conditions of use?
- Who signs off the final wording, and when?
Sequence
- Collect every draft and published environmental statement into one list.
- For each, name the record that supports it, or mark none.
- Narrow or remove wording the record does not support.
- Send the list and the evidence to the competent adviser and wait for their answer.
- Record who approved the final wording and keep the evidence with it.
Worked example · Fictional example
A conference page and a sponsor deck
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional institute drafts three lines: eco-friendly conference, 80 percent less paper, and carbon neutral venue. The log shows 30 printed against 250 the previous year, supported by invoices, and nothing on carbon or on the venue.
The institute replaces the first and third lines and keeps a narrowed second line giving the print counts. It sends the list and evidence to its adviser before publishing. The sponsor deck is checked for the same wording and returned to the sponsor for correction.
Use this yourself
Environmental claim review sheet
Copy one row per statement. A statement with no source record is not published.
| Where it appears | Exact wording | Source record | Status: observed / estimated / not measured | Decision: keep / narrow / remove | Adviser reviewed (name, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Website | |||||
| Programme | |||||
| Sponsor deck | |||||
| Post-event report |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You publish few statements and can tie each to a record in your own log.
- You are comfortable removing wording you cannot support.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Statements go into advertising, sponsor material or a published report.
- Certification names or carbon wording is involved.
- Several teams or sponsors produce materials in your name and need one consistent approval route.
Want a review route set up before you publish?
An Event Blueprint can set the claim list, the evidence each statement needs, who approves wording and the question pack for your adviser. It does not decide whether wording is lawful or acceptable. Send the draft statements and the records you hold.
Questions organisers ask
Can we say our event is sustainable?
Only if you can say in what respect and show the record for it. A general statement is hard to support, so name what was measured instead.
Can we use a supplier's certification logo?
Ask the supplier for the document and its conditions of use, and ask your adviser before using it in your own materials.
Who is responsible if a sponsor makes a claim about our event?
That is a question for your adviser. In practice, ask sponsors to send wording for approval before publishing and keep that approval on record.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.