Chevy eco claims put to the test

Iconic American auto brand Chevrolet today announced a new product labelling initiative that has been audited by Two Tomorrows.

Later this year, a new Ecologic label will begin appearing in new Chevrolet cars sold in the United States, starting with the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic. The labels describe attributes of the vehicle and its assembly and component facilities that demonstrate Chevrolet’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of the vehicle from manufacturing to end-of-life. These statements have been independently audited over recent months by Two Tomorrows North America.

For each of the statements we examined, we reviewed the claim and the substantiation process supporting it. This involved assessing the accuracy and content of the vehicle feature as well as the stated environmental benefit.

We found no errors in the statements we looked at or in the processes used to substantiate those statements. Based on this analysis, we concluded that the environmental claims presented on the Ecologic labels, and associated claims on the Ecologic website, were accurate.

Our work to assess the accuracy of Ecologic claims included:

• examining evidence from third parties such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and certification bodies
• looking at Chevrolet’s own data about its vehicles and manufacturing facilities
• interviewing and taking affidavits from managers and technical experts at General Motors, which owns the Chevrolet brand
• carrying out inspections at several General Motors production plants.

An Ecologic Audit logo will appear on the Ecologic labels and website to show that the statements made have been reviewed by Two Tomorrows.

Chevrolet's Bill Devine says: “Our commitment to this pioneering initiative is shared by Two Tomorrows’ own passion in their support and encouragement of sustainable business. We are assured of a totally independent and meaningful audit from them which has added substantial value to the Ecologic initiative and in turn to the confidence shown in our brand by our customers.”

Two Tomorrows is a market leader in the provision of independent auditing, assurance and verification for sustainability, non-financial and environmental information. We are the largest provider of assurance using the AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS), according to figures from Corporate Register, the online directory of CR reports. Over the past 12 years, our team has provided independent auditing and assurance for over 100 corporate sustainability reports, more than twice the number of any other provider.

More about Chevrolet’s Ecologic label - including our audit statement