New CMA Green Claims Guidance for Marketplaces, Comparison Sites, Affiliate Platforms and Brands.

New CMA green claims guidance landed recently—impacting marketplaces, comparison sites, affiliate platforms and brands.

If you publish, rank, badge, summarise or eco-filter content, there are now much clearer do’s and don’ts.

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recognises a huge share of consumers factor environmental impact into decisions, often linked to higher repeat purchase and loyalty. With this, though, often comes questionable content and misleading data.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
The CMA’s fresh “across the supply chain” guidance doesn’t say “stop”; it says “back it up and know who owns what” — evidence first, claim second, all parties clear on their role.

Platforms that host, repeat or badge claims are squarely in scope, but enforcement is risk‑based and focused on those best placed to prevent or fix misleading messaging.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼?
𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴: appropriate processes in place internally and with suppliers to help ensure that their environmental claims are accurate and do not mislead consumers

𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴/𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴: latest data must be used in product and brand descriptions with clear, comparable evidence. Both the retailer and the brand have a responsibility to ensure that claims aren’t misleading.

This is about governance: audits, substantiation, and response playbooks, not ripping sustainability from onsite storytelling and user journeys.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 (𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 + 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲)
Since the DMCC Act regime took effect (April 2025), the CMA can determine breaches without going to court and issue 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 for consumer law breaches, plus require compensation.

That makes green claims less a comms risk and more a board-level financial risk—especially for platforms and brands operating at scale.

Find out more from UK Gov and CMA here.