In Brief: California environmental marketing bill
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
California environmental marketing bill: SB 426 is referred to the House Appropriations Committee after a 9-2 approval vote of the measure by the Consumer Protection Committee June 27. Introduced by Sen. Tim Leslie (R-Carnelian Bay), the bill was approved by the Senate on May 23 by a 21-16 vote. SB 426 would eliminate the definitions of advertising claims such as "ozone friendly," "biodegradable," "recyclable" and "recycled" currently included in California's Business and Professions code and adopt standards consistent with FTC's environmental marketing claims guidelines. The Association of National Advertisers urged the Consumer Protection Committee to support the bill in a June 23 letter, noting that "the legislation will fully protect the interests of consumers while providing businesses with more flexibility to discuss the environmental attributes of their products." ANA's lawsuit challenging California's law on First Amendment grounds is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court...