The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 10, 2023, that it released the tentative agenda for its May 23, 2023, workshop on “Talking Trash: Recyclable Claims and the Green Guides.” The workshop will examine FTC’s guidance on “recyclable” advertising claims as part of its ongoing review of the Guides for Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides). The workshop is free and open to the public, and pre-registration is not required. FTC states that the workshop will feature three panel discussions featuring a range of stakeholders. The panel discussions will focus on:

• The Current State of the Recycling Market and Claims: This session will include discussion of current conditions in the consumer recycling space, operation of recycling programs, markets for recyclable products, and advertising claims;
• Consumer Perception of Recycling Claims: This session will explore available evidence of how consumers understand “recyclable” advertising claims; and
• The Future of the Green Guides: This session will build on the previous sessions to analyze whether changes or updates are needed to ensure the Green Guides continue to provide accurate guidance to marketers on how to avoid making deceptive “recyclable” claims.

FTC will webcast the workshop on its website, http://www.ftc.gov. Registration is not required to watch the webcast. In conjunction with the workshop, FTC states that it is seeking additional public comment. The public will have until June 13, 2023, to submit comments to accommodate those who wish to provide input on the topics discussed at the event. More information on FTC’s review of the Green Guides is available in our December 16, 2022, memorandum.