MEPs reach agreement to ban misleading environmental claims

The text aims to protect the consumer, prohibiting imprecise expressions if they are not accompanied by detailed evidence.

“Green product”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral”, “100% natural”… On Wednesday January 17, MEPs gave their final green light to ban environmental claims “generics”, vague and misleading on labels and advertisements. They also voted in favor of greater requirements on labels.

Meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs ratified by 593 votes (21 against, 14 abstentions) the agreement reached between the member states and the European Parliament in September on this legislation. The approved text must be transposed by the States within two years.

It aims to protect the consumer, prohibiting imprecise expressions if not accompanied by detailed evidence. The legislation also prohibits claims of neutral or positive environmental impact, based solely on offsetting carbon emissions. This compensation often amounts to planting trees, an inefficient practice compared to the direct reduction of CO2 emissions.

Measures against “early obsolescence”

Promises of future environmental performance must be accompanied by a realistic and independently examined plan. Only sustainability labels based on certification systems approved or established by authorities will be authorized.

To fight against “early obsolescence”, the text provides for the prohibition of unsubstantiated claims about the alleged lifespan of the product, or the fact of presenting a good as repairable when it is not, or with difficulty. The legislation also bans incentives to replace “consumables” earlier than necessary, printer ink cartridges for example.

The coalition of environmental NGOs Ecos (Environmental Coalition on Standards) welcomed the adoption of the text, while considering that it “relies heavily on close market surveillance, which remains incomplete today”. She calls on member states and MEPs to speed up their negotiations on a second, more ambitious draft of legislation against greenwashingthat is to say the promotion of so-called ecological responsibility for commercial purposes.