On 22 March 2023, the European Commission tabled a proposal for a Directive on substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims (“Proposal“).
The Proposal aims to harmonize the evaluation and monitoring of voluntary environmental claims – often referred to as “green claims” – towards EU consumers and control the proliferation of public and private environmental labels. Complementing the March 2022 proposal for a Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition as a lex specialis by providing more specific requirements on the substantiation, communication and verification of green claims, it contributes to the fight against “greenwashing”. Greenwashing is a term used to describe the practice of making unclear or poorly-substantiated environmental claims, potentially misleading consumers into believing that companies, products or processes are more environmentally friendly than they actually are.
Source Baker & McKenzie
