The competent committees of the European Parliament have given the green light to continue negotiations on the certification of green claims in the market. This is a continuation of the process initiated by Croatian MEP Biljana Borzan, aimed at combating so-called greenwashing.
What is greenwashing?
Biljana Borzan explains this concept for EUpravo zato:
"These are various labels on products that create the impression that the product is somehow good for the environment. It might say 'environmentally friendly,' 'eco-friendly,' or something similar. Such labels are used because manufacturers are aware that consumers are increasingly interested in buying products that will not cause an ecological catastrophe. Consumers tend to reward socially responsible manufacturers. By leveraging this fact, various labels are applied to make the product more appealing," our interlocutor explains.
However, for those who are less informed or not involved in the topic, it can be very difficult to recognize greenwashing in practice. That is why Borzan launched an initiative to establish appropriate certification at the EU level.
"This is very difficult for the average consumer, especially when shopping quickly. None of us have hours to spend in the store studying every product in detail. In the EU market, there are around 1,200 labels of this kind on average. However, more than half are false, with no evidence to support the claims. In Croatia, 80% of consumers have noticed these labels, but 70% of them do not trust them, which shows that people have great distrust, realizing that it is a jungle of dubious labels," Borzan reveals.
There Must Be Proof
She adds that in her previous mandate, she was responsible for a directive regulating this issue — the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition — which defined that anyone placing such a label claiming something is eco-friendly or environmentally friendly must have certain proof, i.e., a certificate proving that the claim is accurate.
"In this way, consumer trust will be built — when they see such a label, they will know that there is something concrete behind it. Currently, the situation is such that I could start a company with a friend, and they could give me a label claiming something is eco-friendly without any proof," she says.
Her advice is to introduce uniform labels, which would not be numerous.
"In the EU today, everyone recognizes the green leaf when buying food. Here, it is very difficult for people to navigate. If you have time, it's good to study the label a little. In any case, when a label has a star and an explanation below, it leaves a more serious impression, meaning there is some explanation and a scheme behind how the label was obtained," our interlocutor concludes.