European Parliament backs rules for no greenwashing and misleading claims

On 11 May, Members of the European Parliament backed draft legislation to improve product labelling and durability and to put a stop to misleading claims.

With 544 votes to 18 and 17 abstentions, plenary approved the proposal for a new directive on empowering consumers for the green transition. Its main aim is to help consumers make environmentally friendly choices and encourage companies to offer them more durable and sustainable products.

Parliament’s approved negotiating mandate foresees banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” if these do not come with detailed evidence. It also aims to ban environmental claims that are based solely on carbon offsetting schemes.

European Parliament backs new rules for sustainable, durable products and no greenwashing.

Other misleading practices such as making claims about the whole product if the claim is true only for one part of it, or saying that a product will last a certain amount of time or can be used at a certain level of intensity if that is not true, will also be forbidden.

To simplify product information, MEPs envision allowing only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities to be used.

To make products last longer, Parliament wants to ban the introduction of design features that limit a product’s life or lead to goods malfunctioning prematurely. Additionally, producers should not be allowed to limit a product’s functionality when it is used with consumables, spare parts or accessories (for example chargers or ink cartridges) made by other companies.

In order to help people choose more lasting and repairable goods, buyers would have to be informed of any repair restrictions before making a purchase. Additionally, MEPs propose a new guarantee label indicating not only the length of the legally required guarantee but also the length of any possible guarantee extensions offered by producers. This would help highlight quality goods and motivate companies to focus more on durability.