European lawmakers plan to crack down on “vague, misleading, or unfounded” climate-related marketing claims on retail products. A European Commission review of more than 100 such claims — which used vague phraseology like “climate neutral” or “made with recycled materials” — found that 53% didn’t stack up. In France, advertising rules to avoid greenwashing have already been in force since January 1
Half of the environmental claims used to advertise products in the EU are misleading or unfounded, Brussels has found as it prepares to introduce rules to prevent greenwashing claims.
In the latest draft of the proposals, seen by the Financial Times, the European Commission said it had found that 53 per cent of hundreds of claims assessed in 2020 gave “vague, misleading or unfounded information about products’ environmental characteristics”.
The new rules aim to provide a standardised framework to assess the environmental impacts of products and substantiate claims such as “100 per cent recycled” or made from “all natural” ingredients.
