The European Union (EU) has announced that it will be introducing a new law in March 2023. For it’s called the Green Claims Directive. It’s aim is to combat the issue of greenwashing. For this is in response to a survey conducted last year. One which most interestingly found that more than half of environmental claims made by companies were either misleading or unfounded [1]. The new law will also require companies to provide evidence to justify their green claims. I mean or face penalties. Those which will be proportionate and dissuasive [1].
Verifying Environmental Claims with Scientific Evidence
The Green Claims Directive will also require companies to verify their environmental claims. That’s with scientific evidence before communicating them to consumers [2]. This will further ensure that consumers have access to more accurate information. Especially about the environmental impact of products and services they purchase. The law also applies to companies that operate outside of the EU, but who sell their products or services within the EU market [2].
Standardized Product Lifecycle Analyses to Justify Green Label Claims
The new law will require companies to provide standardised product lifecycle analyses to justify their green label claims [1]. This will ensure that companies are held accountable for the environmental impact of their products throughout their lifecycle. Companies will have ten days to provide evidence to support their claims or face fines [1].
Addressing the Issue of Vague and Misleading Claims
The Green Claims Directive aims to address the issue of vague and misleading environmental claims made by companies. It will establish an EU-wide methodology to provide more clarity to consumers on green products, which could help clean up the environmental claims marketplace [2]. The law will also ban certain phrases, such as “carbon neutral,” from being used in the market [1].
NGOs Call for Clear and Common Rules
While the Green Claims Directive is a step in the right direction, NGOs are calling for clear and common rules to apply across the EU for all types of claims present in the market [3]. This includes sectors where the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) or any other life cycle assessment method fail to address all relevant environmental dimensions [3].
Conclusion
The introduction of the Green Claims Directive is a positive step towards combating the issue of greenwashing and ensuring that companies are held accountable for the environmental impact of their products and services. The law will require companies to provide evidence to support their environmental claims, and companies that fail to do so will face proportionate and dissuasive penalties. However, there is still work to be done to establish clear and common rules across the EU for all types of claims present in the market.
References: [1] EU to crack down on greenwashing with ‘proportionate’ … [2] A ‘greenwashing’ crackdown in Europe hasn’t gone down … [3] EU Commission prepares to crack down on greenwashing …
