4.15.2008 - 11:59pm ET

(CSRwire) SAN FRANCISCO – April 16, 2008 – Pop into any supermarket today and you can't fail to be struck by the number of labels making claims about the social and environmental attributes of a range of different products. Organic, Fairtrade and FSC Certified — "eco-promises" are made about a range of issues in advertising, in store promotions and on products themselves.

For consumers this can be confusing. Which issues are most important? And which labels can they trust?

For companies the issue of communicating the social and environmental attributes of their products can be just as complicated. What issues should they be highlighting? How can they best communicate to consumers? And how can they ensure that "eco-promises" align with broader business objectives?

Forum for the Future, the UK-based sustainable development charity, has teamed up with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the global business membership organization that specializes in corporate responsibility, to answer these questions.

Their new report, Eco-Promising: How to Communicate Credibly About Your Products, provides an invaluable how-to guide and examples for companies wanting to make environmental claims about their products and services. The report also reviews the history of eco-promising and highlights the challenges facing companies in communicating their efforts – including the rising possibility of a consumer backlash due to confusion.

The benefits of effectively communicating such promises include:

Opportunities to shape the regulatory framework

According to Tom Berry, Head of Retail at Forum for the Future, "It's not just about slapping a label on a packet. Understanding the true environmental credentials of your products and communicating these to consumers can be a source of innovation and competitive advantage."

"Doing this is challenging," explains Ryan Schuchard, Associate in BSR's Environmental Research & Development team and lead author of the report, "because environmental standards are emergent and companies often lack meaningful supply chain data. Leaders are investing in better information systems internally and among their peers and suppliers."

Eco-Promising is sponsored by PepsiCo and SC Johnson and is available to download from www.bsr.org and www.forumforthefuture.org.uk.

About BSR

Since 1992, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has been providing socially responsible business solutions to many of the world’s leading corporations. Headquartered in San Francisco and with offices in New York, Paris, Guangzhou, Beijing and Hong Kong, BSR is a nonprofit business association that serves its 250 member companies and other Global 1000 enterprises. Through advisory services, convenings and research, BSR works with corporations and concerned stakeholders of all types to create a more just and sustainable global economy. For more information, visit www.bsr.org.

About Forum for the Future

Forum for the Future - the UK-based sustainable development charity - works in partnership with leading organisations in business and the public sector. Our vision is of business and communities thriving in a future that is environmentally sustainable and socially just. We believe that a sustainable future can be achieved, that it is the only way business and communities will prosper, but that we need bold action now to make it happen. We play our part by inspiring and challenging organisations with positive visions of a sustainable future; finding innovative, practical ways to help realise those visions; training leaders to bring about change; and sharing success through our communications. For more information, visit www.forumforthefuture.org.uk

For more information please contact:

Barbara-Anne Mansfield, Communications Manager
BSR
415-984-3233
www.bsr.org

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