Republic of Korea: Implemented revised FTC Guidelines on Consumer Protection in e-commerce on greenwashing

On 1 September 2023, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) implemented the revised Guidelines on Consumer Protection in e-commerce. The revised Guidelines aim to address issues of "greenwashing," which involves misleading or exaggerated environmental claims in marketing and advertising. In addition, the revisions are designed to enhance law enforcement consistency and protect consumers from deceptive practices. The Guidelines remind businesses to be more diligent in making marketing claims with environmental or ecological implications and to ensure that they align with the guidelines to prevent greenwashing. In this context, the Guidelines provide examples of advertising claims that it considers to be deceptive and greenwashing.