The project proposes a comparison of the regulatory frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with the aim of identifying strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement that will strengthen consumer protection and raise transparency standards in green markets. In recent discussions, the exchanges have been particularly enriching: different countries and sectors have presented divergent approaches on what should be understood by ‘verifiable sustainability,’ how environmental claims are evaluated, and what role authorities should play in monitoring and sanctioning misleading behaviour.

These debates have also highlighted heterogeneous realities in the region: disparate institutional capacities, varying degrees of regulatory maturity, tensions between environmental objectives and market dynamics, and information asymmetries that directly affect the decision-making of consumers and competitors. In this context, a relevant preliminary conclusion is the need to move towards clearer criteria for substantiating and proving environmental claims, as well as towards regulatory responses that combine effective deterrence with incentives for responsible communication.

The project analyses, in particular, how the legal regimes of intellectual property, unfair competition and consumer protection regimes can be articulated to sanction greenwashing practices while avoiding unnecessary burdens for market players, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and promoting genuine innovation.

In short, the different approaches discussed and the diversity of national experiences enable SIPLA to draw preliminary conclusions and outline the next steps of the project with a focus on concrete and applicable policies for the region.