NCA clarifies principles surrounding sustainability communication following Higg debacle

The Norwegian Consumer Authority (NCA) has confirmed that it is working with international counterparts to gather information on how sustainability could best be communicated on consumer-facing garment labels, according to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).

The news comes as the NCA and SAC confirmed they were working together to find a way forward after a report published by the Norwegian consumer watchdog back in June alleged its services, such as its Higg scores, were misleading consumers with faulty sustainability claims.

In a new statement, Higg, a SAC arm focused on software for eco assessments, said it was pleased to see the NCA “working with other global consumer authorities to align on a set of key principles to help drive a harmonised and clear approach to communicating environmental claims”.

The organisation also added that it welcomed NCA’s clarification that there is not a ban on using digital averages in marketing, while the duo also were said to have agreed that businesses needed to address proper qualifications when making certain claims.

It noted that the recent pause in its transparency pilot programme, which the NCA said had broken guidelines under Norway’s Marketing Control Act, has not affected business use of the Higg Index tools hosted on its platform.

Higg added: “It is only through collaboration that solutions for consistent consumer-facing environmental information will be achieved. The joint effort between the SAC and the NCA is a powerful example of how stakeholders can come together to proactively address the impacts of climate change.”