Stricter requirements for green advertising promises such as “environmentally friendly”

According to the will of the EU Parliament, there should be strict guidelines for general green advertising promises such as “environmentally friendly” or “climate neutral”. The veracity of these statements must be proven in detail, as the Parliament announced in Strasbourg. Claims about the environmental friendliness of an entire product, but which only apply to part of it, are to be banned entirely. Only sustainability seals that are based on official certification systems or have been introduced by the state should be approved.

In addition, it should be forbidden for devices to be designed in such a way that the durability of a product is limited. “We want to ban premature wear and tear, for example in relation to missing software updates,” said Anna Cavazzini (Greens), Chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee. CDU MEP Andreas Schwab said it was right to fight misleading claims about the sustainability of products. Before the new rules can come into force, Parliament still has to negotiate the final details with the EU states.

Advancing the circular economy in the EU

The European consumer protection organization Beuc welcomed the project. There are reports from all over Europe of too many everyday products that break down too quickly and can no longer be repaired. Parliament’s approach of banning some practices that shorten the lifespan of products makes sense both for consumers’ wallets and given the planet’s limited resources.

The background is a proposal by the EU Commission. A good year ago, they presented a package that would advance the so-called circular economy in the EU and help the EU meet its Green Deal goals. This states that the European Union should become climate-neutral by 2050.