The European Parliament voted last week in favour of a directive aimed at going further in favour of consumer protection against greenwashing. Key takeaways include:
? Labels and words
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Some words, such as “natural”, “biodegradable”, “sustainable”, will be banned if they are not accompanied by evidence.
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In order to gain clarity among the more than 1,000 European labels and certifications, only sustainability labels based on official certification systems or established by public authorities will be allowed in the EU.
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It will no longer be allowed to talk about “carbon neutrality” when it only concerns emissions compensation.
In France, the Climate & Resilience has already prohibited advertisers, since January 1, 2023, from claiming in an advertisement that a product or service is “carbon neutral” without presenting a greenhouse gas emissions assessment over the entire life cycle of the product or service, the planned emissions reduction trajectory, as well as the methods for offsetting residual emissions.
? Durability and repairability valued
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New transparency rules aim to guide consumers towards durable and repairable equipment, and thus to discourage manufacturers from practicing planned obsolescence of their products.
- Among these new rules, communicate in a clear and visible manner (labeling) reliable, verifiable and comparable information (thanks to a harmonized table of criteria and their measurement) on the durability of equipment, its repairability (availability of spare parts, etc.), and on the warranty conditions.
⏱ When will it be implemented?
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Once it has received final approval from the Council, the directive will be published in the Official Journal and Member States will have 24 months to transpose it into national law.
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