“Environmentally friendly”, “sustainable” or “climate neutral” – if there is no evidence for such vague statements about the environmental impact of products, the EU Parliament wants them banned in the future. On Wednesday, parliamentarians gave the green light to a corresponding project in Strasbourg. This is intended to significantly reduce ‘greenwashing’, which is when products are presented as more environmentally friendly than they actually are.
In the future, only sustainability labels that are based on recognized certification systems or approved by authorities will be allowed. The background to this is that these quality marks are not necessarily comparable and it is often impossible to check how environmentally friendly products actually are. The EU wants to better protect consumers against misleading marketing.
In the future, claims about the sustainability of technical products such as washing machines will also be prohibited if they cannot be proven. In addition, you should only replace things if it is really necessary and – just like with printer cartridges – you should not be asked to do this in advance.
German Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke welcomed the decision: More and more people wanted to contribute to greater environmental and climate protection, but were misled by dubious environmental promises. “With the new rules, consumers in the EU will be able to rely more on this information in the future,” said the Green politician. In addition, it is not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet if products are used for longer.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU countries had previously agreed on this step. Member States still need to agree on the entry into force of the law. But that is considered a formality. The EU countries then have two years to transpose the directive into national law.
(rbu/sda/awp/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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