SHOPPERS are being given a code-breaking guide to crack the gobbledegook appearing on items they buy.
Aerosols, paints, cosmetics and other products carry claims of being ozone friendly, CFC-free and produced with no animal testing.
The claims have got officials at Middlesbrough Borough Council seeing red.
Their verdict is that the claims are too often meaningless - so they have produced a guide to greener shopping to help people through the words and symbols.
Trading standards officer Kerrie Gibson, the guide's author, said: "More and more people are trying to put their environmental principles into practice, and it's clear they are going to favour products which make green claims if they're the same price - or even a little dearer than ones that don't.
"In those circumstances, they need clear and specific facts about the product so they can make an informed choice."
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