June 4, 2008 - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold a hearing to re-evaluate is guidelines for the eco-marketing of textiles and green building products and services.

The workshop, slated for July 15, is the third in a series of public workshops being held as part of the agency's regulatory review of its "Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims," commonly known as the Green Guides.

FTC put its Green Guides review on a fast track amid an explosion of environmentally themed marketing campaigns.

The first Green Guides workshop, held in January, examined issues concerning the marketing of carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates. The most recent workshop, held in April, examined green packaging claims.

FTC has its work cut out: The market for environmentally preferable textiles and building products has exploded since its Green Guides were first published in 1998. In the textile arena, green products include organic cotton and bamboo fiber. The building market has introduced greener versions of everything from flooring, carpeting to paint and wallpaper to insulation and windows. Finally, the past few years have seen an uptick in the number of environmental seals and third-party certification programs purporting to verify green buildings and materials.

Find details on FTC's upcoming workshop here.