EU Initiative to Combat Greenwashing with New Green Claims Directive
The European Commission is addressing the growing issue of misleading environmental claims—or "greenwashing"—through a proposed Directive on Green Claims aimed at protecting consumers and promoting genuine sustainability.
Current Challenges with Green Claims
- Around 53% of environmental claims are vague or misleading.
- 40% of claims lack supporting evidence.
- Nearly half of all green labels have weak or no independent verification.
- The EU currently hosts about 230 sustainability labels and 100 green energy labels with inconsistent transparency.
This confusion undermines consumer trust and hampers sustainable purchasing decisions.
Objectives of the Green Claims Proposal
The proposed Directive, adopted in March 2023, seeks to:
- Make green claims reliable, comparable, and verifiable throughout the EU.
- Protect consumers from deceptive environmental marketing.
- Foster a circular and green economy by enabling informed consumer choices.
- Level the playing field for companies committed to authentic environmental performance.
Key Measures
To ensure credibility, the Directive sets out:
- Clear criteria on how companies must substantiate environmental claims using robust, science-based, and verifiable methods.
- Mandatory checks of claims and labels by independent, accredited verifiers.
- Governance rules for environmental labelling schemes to boost transparency and reliability.
The Directive covers explicit, voluntary green claims made towards consumers, for example:
- “Packaging made of 30% recycled plastic”
- “Company’s environmental footprint reduced by 20% since 2015”
- “CO2 emissions linked to this product halved compared to 2020”
Related EU Policies and Frameworks
The Green Claims proposal complements other EU initiatives under the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan, including:
- Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (March 2022)
- Ecodesign for Sustainable Products
- Farm to Fork Strategy and legislative framework for sustainable food systems
Together, these policies aim to harmonize sustainability standards, promote trustworthy environmental information, and significantly reduce the ecological footprint of products consumed in the EU, supporting the overarching goal of climate neutrality by 2050. ## Existing Trusted Labels
- EU Ecolabel: The official voluntary label guaranteeing low environmental impact.
- EMAS: EU’s eco-management and audit scheme for continuous improvement in company environmental performance.
Conclusion
By cracking down on greenwashing and ensuring stringent verification of environmental claims, the EU Directive on Green Claims empowers consumers, benefits trustworthy businesses, and drives Europe towards a more sustainable and transparent marketplace.
For additional information and documents:
Contact: Europe Direct for EU environmental policy inquiries.
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Design Delight Studio curates high-impact, authoritative insights into sustainable and organic product trends, helping conscious consumers and innovative brands stay ahead in a fast-evolving green economy.
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