Green claims review for customer-facing marketing

This service is useful for businesses that market products, services, venues, or programs using terms such as sustainable, recyclable, compostable, carbon neutral, low waste, ethical, or environmentally friendly. It can be relevant whether the claims appear on packaging, websites, menus, paid ads, social media, or promotional campaigns. It is especially helpful if your business is launching a new sustainability campaign, expanding into new channels, or relying on supplier information that has not yet been legally reviewed from a customer-facing claims perspective.

The main issues are usually overstatement, lack of evidence, unclear qualifications, and broad claims that mean different things to different customers. For example, a claim may sound absolute even though it only applies to one part of the product lifecycle, one ingredient, or one delivery option. Comparisons with competitors can also create risk if the basis is not clear. We review how the claim is expressed, what support appears to sit behind it, and whether disclaimers or qualifications are doing enough work in context.

The service includes a legal review of your environmental and sustainability claims, advice on relevant New Zealand consumer law issues, a written report with suggested improvements, and a follow-up call to discuss the findings. It is broader than a quick consult because it looks at the claims across the materials you provide and how they are presented to customers. It does not include permit applications, marketing strategy advice, or ongoing representation if a complaint, regulator issue, or dispute later develops beyond the review stage.

Yes, where the promotion includes green or sustainability claims, we can review the customer-facing wording and flag legal issues in how those claims are presented. It is worth noting that permit requirements can vary depending on where and how the promotion runs, and promotion rules may depend on the mechanics and location of the competition. The terms also need to reflect the actual promotion mechanics and prize structure. If your campaign includes a competition element, let us know so we can identify whether further terms or separate advice may be needed.

Not always. Supplier material, labels, and certification logos can be helpful, but they do not automatically make your customer-facing claim safe to use in every context. Risk can arise if your marketing goes further than the underlying evidence, uses broader language than the certification supports, or leaves out important qualifications. We can review how those supporting materials connect to the claims you want to publish and flag where the wording may need to be narrowed, explained, or better substantiated before use.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Green Claims Review service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.