Two Sides North America is the North American arm of the global non-profit organization advocating for the sustainable attributes of print, paper, and paper-based packaging. This year, the group marked a major milestone: more than 1,500 companies worldwide have now pulled back or amended environmental claims that unfairly cast paper and paper-based packaging as bad for the planet. The effort is part of a public-awareness push the organization has run for over a decade.  Since the campaign began, TSNA has reached out to 422 companies, and 228 of them—better than half—have since altered or dropped unsubstantiated anti-paper language. In 2025, TSNA engaged 62 companies over greenwashing claims, prompting 25 to change their messaging.  In the U.S., the FTC’s Green Guides call for environmental claims to be precise, evidence-based, and truthful, warning that catch-all terms like “eco-friendly” or “green” can create a misleading impression of a product’s overall impact.  Canada updated its Competition Act in 2024, adding stiffer consequences for unverified environmental claims and putting the onus on companies to prove their assertions. That change raises the stakes for any business still leaning on unproven “paperless is better for the planet” language.

April’s data reflects a cautious consumer mindset. Although browsing activity has increased, signaling continued interest in products and services, consumers are carefully evaluating their options. Sessions were up 9.64% year-over-year, indicating heightened consumer interest or browsing activity across retail websites. However, despite the traffic growth, orders were down -0.68%, suggesting that while more consumers are browsing, many are hesitant to follow through with purchases. A significant influence was the ongoing impact of tariffs introduced earlier this year, which led to higher prices on select categories, particularly electronics, home goods, and apparel. Price-sensitive consumers may have deferred purchases or shifted to lower-cost alternatives, contributing to the flat demand growth of just 0.27% year-over-year.

AI agents can analyze huge amounts of consumer data such as browsing history, purchase behavior, and social-media activity. The potential, especially for privacy concerns, could solve many of the challenges of online advertising. Google and Microsoft are working on their own individual AI agents, but there is no word on how the technology might support advertisers, brands and agencies. It is mostly speculation at this time. The technology would provide the ability to support real-time ad bidding, personalize messages and budget allocations while monitoring in real-time privacy settings based on state or country in which the ad targets the consumer.