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Guidelines for more transparency in product claims

To ensure that companies use product claims correctly, GS1 Germany offers a guide for orientation and as a decision-making aid.

Time and again, consumers are confronted with claims about the disposal, sustainability and ingredients of products. GS1 Germany is now offering a free guide to help companies use sustainability-relevant product claims correctly and to aid decision-making.

"Biodegradable", "fair trade", "regional product", "recyclable" - the range of terms and statements about the properties of articles is wide. Companies want to use them to Creating transparency and enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. The "Sustainable Product Claims 2.0" guide offers orientation and decision-making support. It is primarily aimed at marketing and communication experts in companies, but those responsible for packaging design and product development will also benefit from it.

The programme developed by sustainability experts from industry and trade together with GS1 Germany This document helps them to fulfil the high demands placed on product communication. In addition, readers are provided with Excerpts from an exclusive study Insights into consumers' understanding of statements that describe the characteristics of goods - such as clothing, food and cosmetics - in terms of sustainability.

"The guideline promotes a clear picture of the terminology among users in companies, but also among consumers. Increasing long-term transparency and credibility of the statements strengthen consumer trust in the advertised goods and brands."

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Stefanie SchönherrSustainability Manager in Product Management at dm-drogerie markt GmbH + Co KG

Infographic with tips on the use of product claims.
(Image: GS1 Germany)

To this end, the plant bundles the Definitions and requirements of leading global, European and national standards, norms and laws. The current version has the character of a recommendation and is based on a first edition from 2014. The centrepiece of the document is a Glossary with 55 terms on topic clusters such as "climate", "recycling and utilisation" and "ingredients". A harmonised definition, recommendations for use, application examples and associated seals and certificates are summarised for each statement. Furthermore, insights into current consumer understanding are available for selected statements.

"In the meantime, the understanding and use of information that provides details on sustainability-relevant product characteristics has changed. The revised guideline responds to this development.",

Peter UhligManager Sustainabiltiy at GS1 Germany

For effective product communication, it is important that the targeted consumers understand the content. The HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management therefore conducted a nationwide, population-representative online survey of 14 to 70-year-olds on behalf of GS1 Germany in order to analyse the analyse consumers' current understanding of individual sustainability terms. The results were compared with those of a study from 2014, which is comparable in terms of its structure. The comparison of the results from 2014 and 2021 shows that Comprehensibility and purchase relevance increased across all terms analysed have.

The findings also indicate which terms need to be explained even better in future in order to create even more transparency and make purchasing decisions easier. In general, the Study participants expressed a need for more information in the area of labelling and quality seals. Only 25 per cent of respondents said they were familiar with their significance. The full consumer study is expected to be published in August 2022.

The guide is provided by GS1 Germany available online.

Source: GS1 Germany

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