The European Union’s new rules on environmental and sustainability claims went into effect Monday, aimed at fighting ‘greenwashing’ by setting tighter limits on claims used in marketing and on labels.
Many travelers and consumers are looking for ‘green’ or sustainable travel and products these days, but there’s often little to explain the claims of being ‘environmentally friendly,’ ‘green,’ ‘climate-friendly’ and the like, including ‘low carbon’ and ‘biodegradable.’
The new rules restrict use of those vague terms unless businesses have evidence to support them. As for sustainability, that label will only be allowed for products or services that rely on recognized certification schemes or government approval. A number of sustainability certifications already exist, including the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the EU Ecolabel, organic certification and Fairtrade certification.
The rules, which must still be incorporated into national law in EU countries within the next year or so, grew out of a 2021 EU assessment that found about half of all environmental claims it examined had no proof they were accurate.
Photo: Finfood – Finnish Food Information
