EU Proposes New Laws On Green Claims

In the week when the United Nations has released another climate report, the European Union has published statistics stating that 94% of Europeans say that protecting the environment is important to them personally, and 68% agree that their consumption habits adversely affect the environment in Europe and globally. Marketers are keen to tap into consumers' environmental awareness, but "green claims" don't always tell the whole story. A study published by the European Commission in 2020 found that 53.3% of the claims examined were vague, misleading or unfounded, and 40% were completely unsubstantiated.

The European Commission has therefore proposed a new Directive which aims to address greenwashing by tackling false environmental claims made towards consumers, and stopping the proliferation of public and private environmental labels. It will require green claims to be substantiated ahead of publication. Of course, prior substantiation is already required by the Green