This Wednesday, the European Parliament gave the green light to a directive aimed at: Improve product labeling by banning the use of misleading environmental advertising To protect European consumers and help them “choose better” when buying. This measure attempts to stop the increasing trend of many companies to ‘greenwash’, that is, to sell products as ecological when they really are not.
Directive adopted by the European Parliament the vast majority The votes – 593 in favour, 21 against and 14 abstentions – aim to make product labeling “clearer and more reliable” by vetoing the use of generic claims such as “eco-friendly”, “eco”, “biodegradable” or “climate neutral”. any evidence.
The new standards will also regulate the use of sustainability labels. confusion caused by the spreadand the European Union (EU) will only allow certificates based on official certification systems or created by public authorities.
Additionally, claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment thanks to emissions offset systems will also be banned.
It will be necessary to explain why a product is sustainable
“Consumers will be able to choose more durable, repairable and sustainable products thanks to reliable labels and advertising; andCompanies won’t be able to fool people by saying something is sustainable without explaining how.“, declared socialist Biljana Borzan, vice-president of the European Parliament.
On the other hand, the directive will add a number of “problematic” commercial practices to the European Union’s (EU) list of prohibited commercial practices. premature wear of your products.
Therefore, “unsubstantiated” claims about the durability of products cannot be made (unless it is true that a washing machine will last up to 5,000 washes, for example) or presented as repairable if untrue.
For this reason, the EU will want warranty information to be more visible and will create a New compatible label to bring greater visibility to products with extended warranty.
“We will move away from disposable culture, make marketing more transparent and fight against premature obsolescence,” Borzan emphasized.
The directive now needs final approval from the Council; It will then be published in the EU’s official journal and Member States will have two years to transpose it into their legal systems.