Environmental claims and the Competition Act after Bill C-15: a note for plumbing advertisers

What changed, and what didn't

The direct answer: one specific test was dropped; the basic rule against misleading claims is untouched.

As described on the Bureau's page, last modified 2026-06-01:

• Still prohibited: false or misleading representations made to promote a product or business interest. The Bureau looks at both the literal meaning and the general impression.
• Still required: product claims about performance, efficacy or length of life must be based on adequate and proper testing. That includes claims about a product's environmental benefits.
• Still required: claims about the environmental benefits of a business or business activity need adequate and proper substantiation.
• Removed by Bill C-15: the requirement that those business-level claims be backed by an internationally recognized methodology.

The Bureau had not published its updated guidance when we checked in October 2026. Watch its page for that update.

Why this is a plumbing story

Plumbing companies make environmental and efficiency claims all the time, often without noticing. Heat pump water heaters, tankless units, low-flow toilets, water-saving fixtures and leak detection are all sold partly on savings or environmental benefit.

Typical lines on plumbing websites and ads:

• "Cut your water bill in half with a new toilet."
• "Our eco water heaters pay for themselves."
• "The greenest plumbing company in town."

Each one is a claim the Act cares about. The first is a performance claim that needs testing behind it. The second is a savings claim that depends on usage, energy prices and the old equipment. The third is a claim about the business itself, which still needs substantiation even after Bill C-15.

A checklist for efficiency and green claims

Use this before a claim goes on your site, your van or an ad:

1. Use the manufacturer's numbers, quoted exactly, and name the source (for example, a published efficiency rating).
2. Say "up to" only when it is true, and make the conditions clear.
3. Avoid absolutes like "greenest", "zero waste" or "eco-friendly" for your whole company unless you can show the basis.
4. Show worked numbers, not slogans. "A household using X litres a day at Y cents per litre would save about Z" is checkable; "save a fortune" is not.
5. Keep a file with the evidence for each claim, dated.

Rewriting three common lines

Here is how the examples above could be rewritten so they say something useful and checkable:

• Before: "Cut your water bill in half with a new toilet." After: "Older toilets can use far more water per flush than current low-flow models. Here is the rated flush volume of the model we install, and how to estimate your own savings."
• Before: "Our eco water heaters pay for themselves." After: "This heat pump water heater carries the manufacturer's published efficiency rating shown below. Whether it pays back depends on how much hot water you use and your energy rates; we'll go through the numbers with you."
• Before: "The greenest plumbing company in town." After: a specific, true statement, such as how you recycle old tanks and copper, if you actually do.

The rewritten versions are longer, but they answer the buyer's real question. In our experience writing for trades, specific claims also tend to read as more trustworthy than adjectives.

Drip pricing is the other trap

The Bureau also treats drip pricing as a deceptive practice: advertising a price that can't be paid because mandatory fixed fees are added later. In plumbing, the common version is an advertised service-call or install price with an unavoidable fee added on the invoice.

If you advertise a price, include the mandatory fixed charges in it. Taxes can be stated separately; mandatory fees generally should not be hidden.

How we write claims for plumbing clients

When we build pages for plumbing companies, every efficiency or savings claim gets a source, a date and conditions, and we prefer worked examples over adjectives. It reads better, it converts better with sceptical buyers, and it keeps you on safer ground. The Bureau's general page on misleading representations is worth sharing with whoever writes your ads.

This is a summary, not legal advice. For our approach to ads, see Google Ads and Local Services Ads; for content, the industry content service; and for every verified story, the newsroom.