European Parliament Approves Law Against Greenwashing and Deceptive Environmental Advertising

European Parliament. Terms like "environmentally friendly," "natural," "eco," or "biodegradable" will no longer be allowed on labels.

The European Parliament has taken a significant step in consumer protection by passing a new law that bans greenwashing and the dissemination of misleading information linked to environmental credentials. The measure aims to safeguard European consumers from deceptive marketing practices, while establishing mechanisms to provide accurate information enabling them to make more informed purchasing decisions.

This regulatory proposal, introduced in March last year, has been the focus of attention from parliamentarians, who have been shaping this regulatory initiative as part of the European Green Deal commitment by the community body. This alliance aims to boost the circular economy, encourage sustainable production, and promote the ecological transition.

MEP Biljana Borzan highlighted the importance of this legislation by stating, "We will make marketing more transparent and fight against the premature obsolescence of products. People will be able to choose more durable, repairable, and sustainable products thanks to reliable labels and advertisements." The essence of the law lies in preventing companies from deceiving consumers with generic and unsubstantiated claims about the sustainability of their products.

Advertising and commercial communication will be particularly affected by this new regulation, as it prohibits the use of unsubstantiated environmental claims in labeling. Terms such as "environmentally friendly," "natural," "eco," or "biodegradable" will no longer be allowed on labels. Similarly, claims about neutral, reduced, or positive environmental impact based on emission compensation systems will be banned.

This measure responds to the growing concern about advertising messages that promote carbon offsetting, intending to boost consumption without adequately addressing the climate crisis.

Another crucial aspect of this directive is the standardization of sustainability-related labels. The proliferation of labels in recent years has led to a lack of comparative, reliable, and trustworthy data. With the entry into force of this regulation, only sustainability labels based on official certification systems or established by public authorities in the European Union will be allowed.

The durability of goods and the fight against planned obsolescence are also key points of the directive. Unfounded claims about a product's durability, as well as invitations to replace products before it is strictly necessary, will be banned. The legislation seeks to end deceptive practices, such as presenting items as repairable when they are not.

Although the new law still requires the final approval of the European Council, it is expected that, once approved, member states will have a 24-month period to incorporate it into their national legislations. This anticipates that the regulation will come into effect in 2026, marking a milestone in the fight against greenwashing and deceptive environmental advertising in Europe.