European Parliament votes for ban on "greenwashing" of products
"Environmentally friendly", "sustainable" or "climate-neutral" - if there is no evidence for such vague claims about the environmental impact of products, the EU Parliament wants them to be banned in future. MEPs gave the green light to a corresponding proposal in Strasbourg on Wednesday. The aim is to significantly restrict "greenwashing", i.e. products being presented as more environmentally friendly than they actually are.
In future, only sustainability seals that are based on recognized certification systems or have been approved by authorities will be permitted. The background to this is that these labels are not necessarily comparable and it is often not possible to verify how environmentally friendly products actually are. In this way, the EU wants to better protect consumers from misleading marketing.
In future, claims about the durability of technical products such as washing machines will also be banned if they cannot be proven. In addition, you should only have to replace things when it is really necessary and - as with printer cartridges, for example - not be asked to do so beforehand.
Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke welcomed the decision: More and more people wanted to make a contribution to greater environmental and climate protection, but were being misled by questionable environmental promises. "With the new rules, consumers in the EU will be able to better rely on these claims in future," said the Green politician. In addition, it is not only good for the environment, but also for the wallet if products are used for longer.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU countries had already agreed on this step. The member states still have to give their approval for the law to finally come into force. However, this is considered a formality. The EU member states then have two years to transpose the directive into national law. (SDA)
