What an eco claim on supplies has to mean
Recycled, FSC, biodegradable, carbon-neutral: the words on the box do not carry equal weight. This page sets out which claims have a standard behind them and which do not.
What the CMA Green Claims Code requires of a supplier
The Green Claims Code is guidance issued by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the body responsible in the United Kingdom for enforcing consumer protection law against misleading commercial claims, including environmental ones printed on products, packaging or marketing material. It sets out the standard a business has to meet before putting a word like "recyclable", "eco-friendly" or "carbon neutral" on something it sells.
What counts as a claim
Any statement that a product, its packaging or the way it was made is better for the environment falls within the Code. That includes a single word on a label, a line on an invoice, or a claim made only on a supplier's website. The Code applies whether the claim is bold or understated: a quiet "made from recycled material" is judged by the same standard as a prominent one.
What the Code asks a business to show
Under the Code, a claim has to be accurate and true, backed by evidence the business can actually produce, and clear enough that a reasonable buyer would not be misled by it. It has to include information the buyer would need to judge the claim fairly. Where a business compares its product to another on environmental grounds, that comparison has to be made on a fair and like-for-like basis, and it has to account for the product's full life.
What this means when you're the buyer
The duty to meet the Code sits with the supplier making the claim. That does not leave the buyer with nothing to do: a claim that carries a recognised standard behind it, such as an independent certification, is a different thing from a claim that rests on the supplier's own wording, and the two are worth treating differently when you're comparing quotes. Whether a particular supplier's claim actually complies with the Code is a question for the CMA to determine.
Eco claims compared, by what stands behind them
Each of these terms turns up on packaging and product listings for the same reason: paper, packaging and catering supplies. What differs is whether an outside body checks the claim before it's printed.
| Claim | What it means | Standard behind it | What to ask the supplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled content | The product contains material reclaimed from waste paper or plastic, mixed with virgin material in some proportion. | No single audited body checks the percentage printed on UK packaging. | Ask what proportion is recycled and whether they can show the paperwork behind that figure. |
| FSC certification | The wood or paper came from a forest managed to a standard set by the Forest Stewardship Council. | Audited by the FSC. The certificate carries a licence number you can check. | Ask for the FSC licence number and check it against the FSC's own database. |
| Biodegradable | The product will break down naturally, without a fixed timeframe or set of conditions attached to the word itself. | No certification scheme covers the word on its own. | Ask what conditions and what timeframe the claim actually assumes. |
| Compostable | The product breaks down into non-toxic material, but only under specific composting conditions. | Can carry a named compostability standard where the packaging states one. Check for the mark rather than the word alone. | Ask whether it needs industrial composting or works in an ordinary compost bin. |
| Carbon-neutral | The supplier says emissions from making or shipping the product are offset elsewhere. | Offsetting schemes vary widely, and none of them appear as a single recognised mark on the packaging itself. | Ask which offset scheme is used and whether an independent party checks it. |
This is general guidance on what each term implies, not a test of any specific supplier's product. Whether a particular claim complies with the law is a matter for the CMA, not for this table.
What to ask before you trust an eco label
A supplier does not have to lie to make an eco label mean less than it appears to. Ask these questions before the claim goes into your decision.
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Who checked the claim
Ask whether an independent certifier assessed it, or whether the supplier is describing its own product in its own words.
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What part of the product it covers
A claim printed on the box can describe the packaging, so ask which part the label actually refers to.
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What it's being compared against
Words like 'lower impact' or 'more sustainable' only mean something next to a stated baseline, so ask what the comparison is measured against.
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Whether there's paperwork behind it
Ask to see the certificate, test report or audit trail.
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What the wording actually means
Terms such as 'eco-friendly' or 'green' have no fixed technical definition, so ask the supplier to say exactly what they mean by it.
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Whether the claim still applies to what you're buying now
A certification can lapse or belong to an earlier version of the product, so ask when it was last checked and against which batch.
A supplier who answers all of this without hesitation is worth taking seriously. One who can't isn't necessarily wrong, but the label is carrying more weight than the evidence behind it.
Where an eco claim sits in the price you pay
A recycled-content or FSC label describes the product. It says nothing about the click charge, the minimum order or the margin sitting underneath the price you're quoted.