ISEAL’s Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide has been revised to help sustainability systems navigate an increasingly complex claims landscape.

A lot has changed in the ten years since ISEAL launched the inaugural Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide. 

Sustainability scheme owners must now consider a greater range of regulatory requirements, as well as whether to control new types of claims, and the additional mediums through which claims can be made. 

Despite these changes, the scope and purpose of the guide remains the same. It outlines how sustainability scheme owners can set-up their policies, processes and systems, to control claims credibly. 

It is designed to support sustainability scheme owners to effectively navigate the current claims landscape, and align with the claims requirements of the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems.

The role of credible claims

Making credible claims is important for building trust with an engaged consumer audience now all too familiar with greenwashing headlines. 

The role of credible claims to incentivise greater levels of investment in sustainable practices is at risk if companies become unwilling to talk about the work they are supporting for fear of negative perceptions — often referred to as ‘greenhushing’.

The decision for sustainability systems on what claims-making they allow by those meeting their systems’ requirements, is more important than ever.

Navigating an ever-changing claims landscape

We don’t have to look far to see ways in which the claims landscape is continuing to evolve. We are witnessing the uncertainty of progress for the Green Claims Directive, and technology changes such as the rapid growth in the capabilities and usage of artificial intelligence.

An important approach that the revised guide takes is to highlight the key principles underlying credible claims-making, as well as how to enact them. 

These have remained relevant across ISEAL’s body of work on credible claims, with a principle for ‘Additional’ that ‘the claim should focus on aspects that go beyond what is already required by law,’ now accompanying those being ‘Clear, Accurate, and Relevant’ and based on a system that is ‘Transparent and Robust.’ 

Launching in July 2025!

Following a two-month public consultation in early 2025, the revised guidance will be ready to launch in July and available on ISEAL’s website.