FTC to issue new green guidelines

Confused about products claiming "organic," "fair trade" or "eco" benefits? How about the "WindMade" or "BioPreferred" labels, launched this year? No wonder. The number of green labels that tout environmental virtues is proliferating, as are complaints about them, such as clothes labeled as "bamboo" that are actually rayon. Help may be on the way. The Federal Trade Commission is updating its guidelines this year for environmental claims, and the U.S. government now requires, as of January, that all products bearing its Energy Star logo undergo third-party testing to prove they're more efficient than regular items. Previously, it required testing of only some products. On May 10, TVs that qualify for its blue logo will have to carry the same yellow-and-black labels, listing annual energy use, that now appear on Energy Star appliances...more