The European Union tackles false environmental promises.

If you’re an advocate for the environment and take action to protect it (for real), you’ll be delighted to read this article.

“The European Union has recently taken steps to put an end to greenwashing, i.e. the use of unjustified environmental claims to promote products.

The European Councils and Parliament have agreed draft directives to ban the use of imprecise, generic or misleading environmental claims. These directives still have to be approved by a vote of the Parliament and the Council.

Once approved, Member States will have two years to implement them.

The directives impose restrictions on the vocabulary used in green marketing. Terms such as “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “ecological”, “biodegradable” and “green product” will only be permitted if accompanied by indisputable evidence.

Claims based solely on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions and those referring to carbon neutrality will also be banned.

Only sustainability labels based on official certification systems will be permitted. New labels will be introduced for manufacturers who extend the legal guarantee period of their products free of charge, and all information on guarantees will have to be visible in shops and on packaging.”

In addition, the European Commission plans to propose a second text in 2024 to combat greenwashing more generally. (To be continued…)

Hanova is delighted with this step forward.

This bill represents a significant step forward towards a more sustainable and responsible economy.