EU Parliament wants stricter requirements for sustainable advertising promises
The EU Parliament wants to impose stricter requirements in future for general green advertising claims such as "environmentally friendly" or "climate neutral". The truth of these statements must be proven in detail, as the Parliament announced in Strasbourg. Claims about the environmental friendliness of an entire product, but which only apply to part of it, are to be banned altogether. Only sustainability labels that are based on official certification systems or have been introduced by the government will be permitted.
In addition, devices designed to limit a product's durability are to be banned. "We want to prohibit premature wear and tear, for example in relation to a lack of software updates," announced Anna Cavazzini (Greens), chair of the EU Parliament's Internal Market Committee. CDU MEP Andreas Schwab said it was right to combat misleading claims about the sustainability of products. Before the new rules can come into force, the Parliament still has to negotiate the final details with EU states.
Advancing the circular economy in the EU
The European consumer protection organization Beuc welcomed the plan. It said there were reports from across Europe of too many everyday products breaking down too quickly and becoming irreparable. The Parliament's approach of banning some practices that shorten the life of products makes sense both for consumers' wallets and in view of the planet's limited resources, it said.
The background is a proposal by the EU Commission. Just over a year ago, the Commission presented a package designed to promote the so-called circular economy in the EU and to help the EU meet its Green Deal targets. This states that the European Union should become climate-neutral by 2050.