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Ever feel confused by all the "eco" labels and “green” claims? You are not alone! Majority of these environmental claims are misleading or very vague, and that is what we call greenwashing. It makes it hard for consumers to trust what companies say is really true.
The good news is that the EU has implemented measures to improve this!
No more vague "eco" claims with the greenwashing directive
Effective from March 27, 2024, the greenwashing directive (also known as the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive) addresses the language used in environmental claims. It sets strict rules on what words are not allowed without clear evidence to support them.
For example, companies cannot just call a product or service "green" or "eco-friendly" without solid proof. These words are too broad and often impossible to verify. This directive ensures that when a company makes an environmental claim, it has to be clear and provable, so consumers are not misled. Meaning that when you have the supporting documents in place, you can communicate about the percentage of renewable materials in a product or when you have the official certification from FSC, you can talk about the product being FSC certified etc.
What is happening with the greenwashing law called Green Claims Directive?
While the greenwashing directive is already in effect concerning the wording of claims, the Green Claims Directive (GCD) is a separate initiative that would address green claims more broadly, specifically how they are verified based on data.
As of now, there are no final drafts or definitive information regarding the exact implementation and details. It was first expected to require that all labels, claims, and certificates about environmental performance were verified by independent third parties as this would prevent companies from creating their own "green labels" or claims with self-defined rules.
But the EU decided to withdraw it recently to rework the details. When the new directive is final, this text will be updated!
The EU Directive 2024/825 is active since 2024 and directly targets the use of words to describe products and services.
What you cannot say: vague, generic terms and phrases like "green," "eco-friendly," "sustainable product" (and similar 'eco' words) are no longer allowed for products or services without specific, verifiable proof. These are considered too broad and misleading.
What you can say: you can communicate about specifics that you can back up with documents or official certifications. For example, stating the "minimum percentage of renewable materials" in a product or that it is "FSC certified".
The Green Claims Directive (GCD), which aimed to reduce the number of sustainable claims and labels, was recently withdrawn because of the administrative burden for smaller companies. The EU is, as we speak, working on thresholds for companies which would fall under this directive.
When the directive comes into force, it is no longer allowed to have your own claim or label for sustainable products. The claims and labels must be approved by an authorized, third party.
Will be allowed: independent external claim and labels like: Nordic Swan, Euro Ecolabel etc.
Will not be allowed: labels and claims with own internal verification and measuring criteria.
This is why we decided to remove our 'conscious promotions' from our communications as it was based on internal claims. For the same reason, we are also not creating any own 'sustainable product' labels based on our own internal criteria, our priority is to communicate our sustainability efforts with verifiable facts and full transparency according to future regulations.
Want to read more about the details?
EU directive 2024/825 you can find here, and the Green Claims Directive here!
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