CANADIAN MARKETING • FREE MINI-COURSE

A greener claim.
A stronger case.

Turn environmental ambition into marketing you can support. Learn what to check before your next campaign goes live.

For marketers, communicators and campaign approvers.
No account needed. Learn at your own pace.

2026 update

The March 26 amendments removed the “internationally recognized methodology” requirement for business environmental claims. Adequate and proper substantiation is still required. Check the current sources ↓

01 / BUILD YOUR JUDGMENT

Before the headline, ask for the evidence.

Four short lessons take you from spotting a claim to making a publication decision.

Read the whole impression

Environmental claims can appear in words, imagery, packaging, social posts and endorsements. A true sentence can still sit inside a misleading overall message. Review the headline, photographs, symbols and qualifications together.

At your desk: A leaf icon and “planet positive” headline can suggest more than a narrow packaging improvement. A tiny footnote may not correct that impression.

Basis: Competition Act 74.01(1)(a); Bureau guidance.

Match proof to the claim

Product environmental-benefit and performance claims require adequate and proper testing. Business or business-activity environmental-benefit claims require adequate and proper substantiation. The advertiser bears the proof burden for these evidence requirements.

At your desk: “This detergent works in cold water” and “our distribution operations cut emissions” call for different evidence. Secure the relevant support before publication.

Basis: Competition Act 74.01(1)(b), (b.1), (b.2).

Give the comparison boundaries

Translate broad language into a defined attribute. State what improved, compared with what, over which period and within which boundary. Distinguish a product from its packaging, and one facility from a whole company.

At your desk: Replace “30% greener” with an evidenced, clearly defined measurement. Explain whether the comparison is per item or total, and identify the baseline.

Basis: Bureau guidance on comparisons, clarity and exaggeration.

Separate a target from a result

A future environmental promise needs a credible foundation. The Bureau recommends a realistic, verifiable plan, interim targets and meaningful action. Avoid presenting an aspiration as an achievement.

At your desk: Before a net-zero campaign, ask for the inventory boundary, baseline, reduction plan, milestones and treatment of offsets. Escalate gaps to the evidence owner.

Basis: Bureau guidance on future claims.

02 / TRY A CAMPAIGN REVIEW

Would you release this ad?

Fictional cases. Choose a decision, then compare your reasoning.

03 / TAKE IT TO YOUR NEXT REVIEW

Your pre-publication checklist.

This is a working aid, not a legal approval. Tick each item only after you have checked it. Your selections stay in this page until you reload.

The exact wording, images, channel and intended audience are recorded.The claim type and required testing or substantiation are identified.Evidence exists before publication and supports this precise claim.Scope, baseline, period, geography and exclusions are clear.Headlines, imagery and qualifications give an accurate overall impression.Future promises have a realistic plan, interim targets and action underway.An evidence owner and approver are named; the review date is recorded.A review trigger is set for product, supplier, data or campaign changes.

0 of 8 review steps checked.

Download the review worksheet ↓

04 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Five decisions. One better campaign.

Answer all five questions. Aim for 4 out of 5, then revisit any missed concepts. This practice check does not issue a compliance certificate.

KEEP LEARNING WITH ECODEMY

Make evidence part of the brief.

Use the worksheet with your team. For questions about the full anti-greenwashing training for Canadian businesses, contact Ecodemy.

Ask about team training ↗Explore Ecodemy

This free resource is available now. Full video-course availability and commercial terms are confirmed separately by Ecodemy.

SOURCE NOTES / VERIFIED NOVEMBER 4, 2026

Go straight to the source.

Competition Act, section 74.01 — Justice Laws
Current statutory wording for misleading claims, performance testing, product benefits and business substantiation. The page was current to October 19, 2026 when checked.
Environmental claims and the Competition Act — Competition Bureau, October 23, 2026
Current enforcement guidance, including overall impression, comparisons and future promises. Guidance explains the Bureau’s approach; courts interpret the law.
Environmental claims and greenwashing — Competition Bureau
Overview confirming the March 2026 change. Earlier materials describing an international-methodology requirement need to be read in light of the amendment.

What changed in 2026?

Business-benefit claims still need adequate and proper substantiation. The law no longer specifies an internationally recognized methodology. Section 74.01(1.01) also excludes paragraph (b.2) from private-access applications; that does not eliminate other possible deceptive-marketing claims or Bureau enforcement. Use current statutory wording and obtain advice for a particular campaign.

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General education, not legal advice or a guarantee of compliance. Examples are fictional. This is an independent Ecodemy resource, not a government publication or endorsement.