Canada has recently adopted new rules on greenwashing, requiring all companies communicating about the environment to review their strategies and approaches.
With the recent increase in mobilization in relation to environmental communication and social performance, including the announcement of a future complaint against Énergir and the complaint against five Canadian banks for greenwashing, it is important for companies to adapt their communications to the new Canadian regulations governing environmental communications.
Prevention is better than cure
With the increase in greenwashing complaints, the possibility that this approach will be used against any company that communicates about its environmental actions and ambitions cannot be ruled out. In this context, effective management of reputational and social risks must remain a top business priority and communications adaptation strategies must be deployed.
Therefore, the communications and community relations teams should be mobilized and alert to these issues as of now, as this risk requires daily management.
To prevent environmental communications from becoming a legal issue, they must be addressed upstream for what they are first and foremost… a communication issue.
Why act now?
The recent amendments to the Competition Act (C-59), in force since June 2024, aim to strengthen the transparency of environmental statements for all companies operating in Canada.
From June 20, 2025, private parties (environmental groups, individuals, competing companies, etc.) will be able to file complaints with the Competition Tribunal for statements they consider misleading.
Any public statement, retroactively over a period of one year, could be considered.
These new guidelines aim in particular to guarantee that the environmental statements made by companies are:
1) Based on rigorous and verified evidence
2) Not misleading
3) Do not overestimate the environmental benefits of the products
All companies must therefore review their communications to ensure that they comply with current regulations. This is to limit potential reputational risks, as well as the severe penalties that could result.
We can help you
In this context, it is in the interest of all companies that communicate about their environmental practices and ambitions to train their teams on the issue to ensure that their environmental communications comply with the new requirements.
We know that this represents a significant adaptation challenge for any organization!
Our communication experts can help you. Our approach is designed to support your communication and community relations teams, we can help you:
- Evaluate your current and past communications to ensure they are aligned with the new regulations
- Train your teams to adapt to the new requirements
- Develop appropriate communication strategies
By adopting a transparent and compliant approach now, companies can mitigate risks while strengthening public trust.