December 2, 2019
Authored by Tammi E. Burke Director, Brand, Marks and Content
In all parts of our lives, we are surrounded by marketing and advertising claims. You’ve probably seen claims similar to:
- Our fire extinguisher resists corrosion in a salt contaminated environment.
- Our fan ventilates air at a rate of 1,000 CFM.
- Our flame retardant produces less smoke and CO.
As a code authority, you may be confronted with new or innovative product’s making claims regarding performance or capabilities. Unsubstantiated and self-declared marketing claims can be confusing and make it seem like brands with similar claims are created equal. To deliver an objective third-party assessment of the accuracy of a marketing or advertising claim, UL created and launched the marketing claim Verification service and the UL Verified Mark.
Our independent claim assessment process – backed by our deep technical expertise and integrity – provides you with confidence in the accuracy of information provided to you for acceptance decisions. UL Verifications are based on scientifically sound, rigorous and repeatable methodologies aimed specifically at determining the accuracy of specific marketing and advertising statements. Importantly, they are delivered by the same technical experts conducting UL testing, inspections, audits and certifications. Our Verification of a claim either expires after a defined time period, or a brand can opt to have the marketing claim Verified again to continue to use the UL Verified Mark.
The UL Verified Mark looks a little different from the typical UL certification Mark. In fact, the UL Verified Mark was designed as a modular piece of artwork distinct from our certification Marks with built-in features pointing to UL Verify, our online database of verified marketing claims. Each Verified Mark contains a unique identifier associated with the specific marketing claim that we have Verified, the URL for the UL Verify database and text describing the claim that UL has Verified.
To read more about our marketing claim Verification service, please see our Marketing Claim Verification page.
