The gray area of the green market: is it really environmentally friendly? Solutions to confusion caused by environmental advertising.

Increased demand for environmentally sound products and business practices has led to advertising practices which are deceptive or false. Consumers are misled because there are no uniform standards or definitions by which to gauge the claims, or the claims are unsubstantiated, overgeneral or unclear in their application. The Federal Trade Commission and the states have the ability to bring action under generally deceptive advertising laws, but this is inadequate by itself. A set of national uniform guidelines and a national 'green seal' program together offer the best available solution.