EUROPE – Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have backed a draft proposal for sustainable and durable products aimed at combating a rise in greenwashing from brands and retailers.
The proposal aims to help consumers make environmentally friendly choices and encourage companies to offer more durable and environmentally sustainable products.
With 544 votes in favor, 18 against and 17 abstentions, the plenary approved the proposal for a new directive on empowering consumers for the green transition last Thursday.
The EP’s approved negotiating mandate foresees banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly,” “natural,” “biodegradable,” “climate neutral” or “eco” if these do not come with detailed evidence.
Other misleading practices such as making claims about the whole product if the claim is true only for one part of it or saying that a product will last a certain amount of time or can be used at a certain level of intensity if that is not true, will also be forbidden.
MEPs envision allowing only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities to be used to simplify product information.
To make products last longer, the EP wants to ban introducing design features that limit a product’s life or lead to goods malfunctioning prematurely.
Additionally, producers should not be allowed to limit a product’s functionality when it is used with consumables, spare parts or accessories (for example, chargers or ink cartridges) made by other companies.
To help people choose more lasting and repairable goods, buyers would have to be informed of any repair restrictions before making a purchase, asserts the parliament.
In addition, MEPs propose a new guaranteed label indicating not only the length of the legally required guarantee but also the length of any possible extensions offered by producers. This would highlight quality goods and motivate companies to focus on durability.
After the vote, rapporteur Biljana Borzan said: “The industry will no longer profit from making consumer goods that break just as the guarantee period is over.
“Consumers will have to be provided with information about the options and cost of repairs in a clear manner. Product labels will inform citizens which goods are guaranteed to last longer and producers whose goods are more durable will profit.
“The jungle of false environmental claims will end as only certified and substantiated ecological claims will be permitted.”
The proposed directive is part of the first circular economy package, which paves the way for a new green claims directive that will further specify the conditions for making environmental claims in the future.
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