Trade Mark Law, Consumer Protection and the Green Transition: An IAS Conversation

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About this Conversation

Efforts to tackle greenwashing and to support the green transition rely on a range of regulatory, evidential and policy tools that shape how consumers understand and trust sustainability claims. Trade mark law is only one of these tools, yet its role is increasingly important. Certification marks, environmental labels and green claims can guide consumers towards ethical and sustainable choices, but only if the underlying legal and behavioural assumptions are sound. This Conversation will explore whether trade mark law can contribute meaningfully to reliable environmental communication, and how it interacts with behavioural evidence and consumer protection aims.

A central challenge is that trade mark law often bases its evaluations on judicial assumptions about the ‘average consumer’, while behavioural research reveals patterns of decision making that may not align with these assumptions. As sustainability labels and environmental indicators become more prominent across markets, understanding how real consumers interpret and respond to trade marks and green labels becomes essential for researchers, regulators and policymakers who aim to support informed and ethical consumer choices.

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What to Expect

During this IAS Conversation, participants will be invited to:

• Connect with colleagues across Warwick with interests in consumer law, behavioural science, sustainability, marketing and policy
• Engage in discussion across three interdisciplinary panels featuring experts from Warwick, UCL, the CMA and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law
• Explore the relationship between legal doctrine, empirical consumer behaviour, and the growing use of green claims

Consider how interdisciplinary insights can help reduce greenwashing, improve consumer trust, and guide future regulatory and research initiatives

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