EU bans greenwashing; new law to revolutionise eco-claims

18 Jan '24

2 min read

Pic: Adobe Stock

Insights

The European Parliament has passed a directive to combat greenwashing and misleading product claims.
The directive requires clear, substantiated environmental claims, and regulates sustainability labels.
It emphasises product durability, mandates prominent guarantee information, and introduces a label for products with extended guarantees.

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new directive aimed at curtailing greenwashing and the dissemination of misleading product information. With an impressive majority of 593 votes in favour, 21 against, and 14 abstentions, the directive represents a significant step towards enhancing consumer protection and promoting more sustainable purchasing decisions.

Central to the directive are measures aimed at improving the clarity and reliability of product labelling. It specifically bans the use of vague environmental claims such as ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘natural’, ‘biodegradable’, ‘climate neutral’, or ‘eco’ unless these claims can be substantiated with proof, the European Parliament said in a press release.

The use of sustainability labels will also now be regulated, given the confusion caused by their proliferation and failure to use comparative data. In the future, only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities will be allowed in the EU. Additionally, the directive will ban claims that a product has a neutral, reduced, or positive impact on the environment because of emissions offsetting schemes.

Another key aspect of the directive is its emphasis on the durability of products. The new law mandates that guarantee information be more prominently displayed. Additionally, a new harmonised label will be introduced to highlight products with extended guarantee periods.

The directive also takes aim at unfounded durability claims, such as unrealistic longevity assertions for appliances under normal usage conditions. It addresses the issue of premature prompts for replacing consumables and bans the practice of falsely presenting goods as repairable.

Parliament’s rapporteur Biljana Borzan (S&D, HR) said: “This law will change the everyday lives of all Europeans! We will step away from throwaway culture, make marketing more transparent and fight premature obsolescence of goods. People will be able to choose products that are more durable, repairable, and sustainable thanks to reliable labels and advertisements. Most importantly, companies can no longer trick people by saying that plastic bottles are good because the company planted trees somewhere – or say that something is sustainable without explaining how. This is a big win for all of us!”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)

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