The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) publishes the "Green Guides," specifically because vague environmental claims had become common enough to need clearer standards. The pattern to watch for is a broad, feel-good word — "eco," "green," "sustainable" — with nothing specific backing it up: no named certification, no stated percentage, no supply-chain detail. A genuinely checkable claim looks different: "packaging made from 80% recycled cardboard," "palm-oil-free, verified by [named ingredient audit]," or a real, named certification logo you can look up independently. None of this means every brand using soft language is being deceptive, but it does mean that a specific, checkable claim is worth more than a comforting adjective, and it is reasonable to expect brands to be able to back up what they say if asked.