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“These provisions will ensure that consumers receive truthful information about the real environmental impacts of products and traders”, says the letter signed by Euro Coop
Euro Coop has joined calls for members of the European Parliament and EU Ministers to adopt a robust Green Claims Directive, describing it as “essential” to combat greenwashing, rebuild consumer trust, and foster sustainable consumption across Europe.
The European co-op apex joined civil society organisations and businesses across Europe in signing a joint letter last week, which calls on the Council and Parliament to support a robust Directive with a meaningful verification procedure and clear rules on environmental claims.
The European Commission first put forward its proposal for a directive on green claims in March 2023, adopting its position in June last year, which would require companies to substantiate the voluntary green claims they make in business-to-consumer commercial practices.
In 2020, the European Commission found that more than half of environmental claims made by businesses in the EU were vague, misleading or unfounded, and 40% were unsubstantiated.
The letter signed by Euro Coop says that market authorities cannot sufficiently enforce current legislation due to the high volume of claims being made, while businesses face “legal uncertainty and fragmentary enforcement”, which puts smaller businesses who cannot risk enforcement at a disadvantage.
Having a swift, manageable, and affordable verification procedure before claims are made would eliminate greenwashing from the start and support businesses in managing legal risks from greenwashing, the letter adds.
As well as a verification process, the letter calls for clearer rules on traders making environmental claims regarding ‘offsetting’ of environmental impacts.
“The EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, national regulators, and Courts have all recognised that ‘offsetting’ is a highly flawed concept that does not align with scientific evidence”, states the letter, suggesting that instead, the Directive should enable companies to communicate about their contribution to environmental projects outside of their value chain, with