From Greenwashing to Trust: The Objectives of the new European Directive
The increased prioritization of sustainability by consumers has led business entities to respond with environmental statements about their products. However, this has led to an increase in “greenwashing”, in which companies exaggerate or misrepresent their environmental efforts.
The proposal for a European directive on the substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims (Ecological Claims Directive) was approved by the European Parliament in January 2024, marking an important step towards the implementation of universal rules.
The January newsletter explores the objectives of the proposal and its potential impact on combating “greenwashing” in the textile and clothing industry. The textile and clothing industry plays an important role in the global economy, but it also has a substantial environmental impact.
Objectives of the proposal and the role of Consumers
The proposed European directive to update consumer protection legislation aims to ensure the protection of consumers and allow them to actively contribute to the ecological transition.
Recognizes the crucial role that consumers play in accelerating the transition to a more sustainable future and seeks to establish more specific rules and complement existing directives to resolve common problems and provide consumers with reliable and verifiable information.
It also highlights the importance of consumers having the information they need to make informed choices and play an active role in the ecological transition.
It is aligned with the European Green Deal’s commitment to empowering consumers with reliable and transparent information to make sustainable decisions. By addressing “greenwashing”, the proposal aims to ensure that consumers receive accurate and comparable information, enabling them to make more sustainable choices and reduce the risk of “greenwashing”.
Transparent and Reliable Information
A key aspect of the proposal is the requirement that companies substantiate their environmental claims, requiring that explicit environmental claims be based on recognized scientific data and advanced technical knowledge.
It also highlights the importance of demonstrating the impacts and performance of products throughout their life cycle, to avoid misleading claims and ensure that companies provide reliable and verifiable information to consumers.
The proposal highlights the importance of transparent and reliable information for consumers. Its aim is to enable consumers to make informed decisions by providing them with clear and understandable information about the sustainability, durability and carbon footprint of products. This transparency is seen as a crucial instrument to facilitate the adoption of zero-impact or better-performing products.
In this sense, we highlight some of the most important aspects that companies should pay attention to:
1. Stricter labeling and advertising standards:
The cornerstone of the EU proposal is the application of stricter standards for environmental claims in product labeling and advertising. Terms such as “eco-friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate-neutral” or “eco-friendly” are often used loosely by companies to attract environmentally conscious consumers. The new rules aim to prohibit the use of such general environmental claims unless they are substantiated with concrete evidence. This measure aims to reinforce the credibility of environmental claims and prevent consumers from being misled by vague or exaggerated claims.
2. Regulation of sustainability labels:
The proliferation of sustainability labels has often led to confusion among consumers, in part due to a lack of comparative data and clear standards. To solve this problem, the EU plans to strictly regulate the use of sustainability labels. Under the new proposal, only labels based on official certification systems or those established by public authorities will be permitted in the EU. This regulation is expected to simplify sustainability labels and make them more meaningful and reliable for consumers.
3. Prohibition of misleading environmental impact claims:
A significant aspect of the new directive is the prohibition of claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive environmental impact due to emissions offsetting systems. Such claims can be misleading as they can give a false impression of a product’s actual environmental footprint. By banning these claims, the EU aims to ensure that consumers receive more accurate information about the environmental impact of the products they buy.
4. Enhance durability:
The EU proposal places a strong emphasis on the durability of products. Manufacturers will be required to make warranty information more visible and transparent. A new harmonized label will be introduced to highlight products that offer an extended warranty period, encouraging longer product life and reducing waste. This initiative aligns with the broader goals of sustainable consumption and the circular economy.
5. Prohibition of unsubstantiated durability claims:
The new rules will prohibit unsubstantiated claims about the durability of products. For example, if a garment is advertised as lasting 50 wash cycles, this claim must be verifiable under normal conditions of use.
In addition, the directive will target practices such as leading consumers to prematurely replace consumables (a common problem with products such as printer ink) and falsely presenting products as repairable when they are not.
Application and Compliance
To ensure fair competition in the EU market, the proposal calls for common implementation and enforcement rules when environmental claims are based on reliable, comparable and verifiable information.
Member States must designate the competent authorities responsible for implementing and monitoring compliance with the proposal. These authorities may be the same as those responsible for implementing the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.
What’s next?
The directive now requires final approval from the Council before it is published in the Official Journal and Member States have 24 months to convert it into national legislation.
The new directive is intended to work with the Ecological Claims Directive, which is currently being debated at the parliamentary committee stage. The new regulation on ecological claims will be more explicit, defining in more detail the conditions for submitting environmental claims.
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The proposed update to EU consumer protection legislation represents a significant step towards empowering consumers and promoting sustainable choices. By addressing false environmental claims and providing transparent and reliable information, the proposal aims to enable consumers to actively contribute to the ecological transition.
Stresses the importance of scientific data and advanced technical knowledge to substantiate environmental claims and ensure consumer confidence in sustainable products.
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Read more – Stopping greenwashing: how the EU regulates green claims