The ministry and the FTC said on April 28 they will hold an “environmental labeling and advertising” training session on April 29 at the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute auditorium in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, for major mail-order brokerage operators and sellers on online distribution platforms.
As green consumption spreads and interest in eco-friendly values grows, labels and ads highlighting the environmental benefits of products and services have increased rapidly. In online platform sales involving many sellers, the accuracy and consistency of environmental information has become a key factor affecting consumer trust and market integrity.
Environmental labeling and advertising are overseen by the climate ministry under the Environmental Technology and Environmental Industry Support Act and by the FTC under the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising. Industry has called for clearer, more unified guidance on how the rules are interpreted and how investigations are conducted.
The training was designed to meet that demand by improving companies’ understanding of the system and strengthening practical compliance capabilities. The Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute and the Korea Online Shopping Association will run the program.
The agenda includes trends and key issues in the mail-order brokerage system, an overview of environmental labeling and advertising rules, major review cases under the labeling and advertising law, and guidance on proper environmental claims.
To allow participation by sellers nationwide, the session will be offered both in person and via live online streaming.
The two agencies also plan to prepare and distribute a joint guideline on environmental labeling and advertising by the end of the year. The guide is intended to provide integrated direction on the standards used by both agencies, support companies’ understanding and compliance, reduce unfair green claims, and strengthen consumer protection and market trust.
Jeong Seon-hwa, the climate ministry’s director general for green transition policy, said, “We hope this training helps companies accurately understand the environmental labeling and advertising system and use it properly,” adding that the agencies will continue working together to improve consistency and effectiveness in oversight.
Information Reum, director general of the FTC’s Consumer Policy Bureau, said the session was arranged so companies do not face difficulties from legal and institutional uncertainty as they pursue “environmental management.” She said the government plans to strengthen monitoring while improving rules on environmental labels and advertising that are closely tied to people’s everyday consumption.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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