These Guidelines are issued in accordance with Article 3 of the Act on Fair Labelling and Advertising, and Article 3 of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act. The Guidelines are subsidiary legislation and are legally binding.
Under the Guidelines, advertisements relating to the environment must be true, clear, capable of being substantiated and comprehensive. They must not be deceptive or misleading. The guidelines define "environmental properties or efficacy" to include the degree of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption throughout the product life cycle.
The Guidelines provide specific case examples to illustrate how claims might be considered. For example, it states that it would be inappropriate for airlines that purchase carbon credits to offset its carbon emissions to claim that its flights contribute to a carbon-neutral future. It also states that it would be misleading for a company to advertise that it had reduced its carbon emissions by 33%, but then state in fineprint "exclusive of transport". Environmental advertising must consider the impact on the natural environment throughout the entire process / life cycle of the product.
