The EU will propose tough measures against companies that use false “green” claims – #propose #tough #measures #companies #false #green #claims
BRUSSELS, March 22 (Reuters) – Europe Commission on deceptive green labels for products from clothing to cosmetics from companies across Europe cancellation to do law wants to demand evidence to back up its climate-friendly claims on its products as part of its project.
European Union New requirements for companies seeking to promote goods sold with labels such as “natural”, “climate neutral” or “recycled content” in Europe on Wednesday offer is going to do.
A draft of the proposal, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, says that to use such labels, a company must first carry out a science-based assessment assessing all significant environmental impacts to prove its product meets the claim, or is verified under an environmental labeling scheme.
Regardless of the company, an accredited verification company will need to verify the claim before using it publicly. Companies that make climate-friendly claims without evidence can face financial penalties.
According to the EU’s own analysis, greenwashing is widespread in Europe. 20 of the Commission20An evaluation of 150 claims about the environmental properties of products in 2015 showed that the majority – 53% – provided “vague, misleading or unsubstantiated information”.
The draft states that the purpose of the rules is to help consumers determine which products are truly environmentally friendly, and to provide companies with real environmental benefits. credit is to help give.
Offerwill cover all consumer products sold in the EU unless they are covered by existing EU laws governing certain labels – for example those labeled organic food.
Campaign groups today hailed the draft plan as a step forward in the largely unregulated spread of green claims. But they warned that offer will give companies a lot of latitude to choose the data or effects they use to evaluate a claim – robust for all Europe instead of setting the standard.
“You can evaluate a product with two different methodologies and it can give you completely different results,” said Margaux Le Gallou, program manager for the standards nonprofit Environmental Coalition.
Among the requirements, claims their environmental impact compensation Companies relying on receiving carbon credits to do so may also have to disclose it.
EU countries and the European parliament must discuss and approve the final law before implementing it—a process that usually takes more than a year.
Reporting by Kate Abnett; Edited by Aurora Ellis
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2023-03-22 12:07:11
Source – reuters
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