Latest news with #GreenClaimsDirective
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
EU plans to scrap anti-greenwashing rules after pushback
Conservative lawmakers said the new rules would not be good for businesses. PHOTO: REUTERS BRUSSELS - The European Commission said on June 20 it intends to scrap new rules against greenwashing after they hit a roadblock in the final stretch from conservative lawmakers calling them too onerous for businesses. The 'Green Claims Directive' would require companies to provide hard facts to back up claims that their products are carbon-neutral, biodegradable or 'less polluting'. Businesses would need to submit evidence for environmental claims for approval by independent verifiers – with fines and other penalties for failure to comply. 'In the current context, the commission intends to withdraw the Green Claims proposal,' the European Union (EU) executive's spokesperson on environmental matters, Maciej Berestecki, told reporters. European lawmakers and the bloc's 27 member states agreed last year to move ahead with the directive, which was being finalised in three-way negotiations with the commission with a final meeting set for June 23. But the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) – Parliament's biggest force, which is now pushing to roll back parts of the EU's green agenda – was not satisfied with the text, and asked this week for the commission to withdraw it. Mr Berestecki said the EU's executive arm decided to do just that, because the 'current discussions around the proposal' went against its 'simplification agenda'. Currently 30 million micro-enterprises – or 96 per cent of all firms – would be covered by the text, something the commission did not like, Mr Berestecki explained. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who hails from the EPP, has pledged to make life easier for businesses in a bid to re-launch the European economy. Ms Danuse Nerudova, the EPP's negotiator on the file, welcomed the commission's move, describing the proposal as 'overly complex' and lacking an impact assessment to show its benefits would outweigh the burdens on businesses. 'We need regulation that is clear, proportionate, and grounded in evidence,' she said in a statement to AFP. 'Less bureaucracy and more competitiveness – that's what we promised to citizens.' But fellow lawmaker Sandro Gozi, of the centrist Renew group, called the decision 'shameful'. 'It is unacceptable that the EPP, in tandem with the far-right, is trying to undermine a fundamental piece of legislation to protect European citizens from corporate environmental fraud,' he said. Since last year's elections saw the EU parliament shift right, the bloc has embarked on a drive to cut red tape seen as hindering economic growth – including key parts of the environmental 'Green Deal' of Ms von der Leyen's first term. Most strikingly, a hard-fought law requiring companies to ensure their global supply chains are free of ethical and environmental abuses has had its rollout pushed back to 2028 – and its future is in doubt. The green claims bill was one of several EU initiatives clamping down on greenwashing, with a separate law adopted last year that banned broad, generic claims such as labelling products 'eco-friendly' or 'natural'. AFP Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
France 24
9 hours ago
- Business
- France 24
EU plans to scrap anti-greenwashing rules after pushback
The "Green Claims Directive" would require companies to provide hard facts to back up claims that their products are carbon-neutral, biodegradable or "less polluting". Businesses would need to submit evidence for environmental claims for approval by independent verifiers -- with fines and other penalties for failure to comply. "In the current context, the commission intends to withdraw the Green Claims proposal," the EU executive's spokesperson on environmental matters, Maciej Berestecki, told reporters. European lawmakers and the bloc's 27 member states agreed last year to move ahead with the directive, which was being finalised in three-way negotiations with the commission with a final meeting set for Monday. But the centre-right European People's Party -- parliament's biggest force, which is now pushing to roll back parts of the EU's green agenda -- was not satisfied with the text, and asked this week for the commission to withdraw it. Berestecki said the EU's executive arm decided to do just that, because the "current discussions around the proposal" went against its "simplification agenda". Currently 30 million micro-enterprises -- or 96 percent of all firms -- would be covered by the text, something the commission did not like, Berestecki explained. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who hails from the EPP, has pledged to make life easier for businesses in a bid to re-launch the European economy. Danuse Nerudova, the EPP's negotiator on the file, welcomed the commission's move, describing the proposal as "overly complex" and lacking an impact assessment to show its benefits would outweigh the burdens on businesses. "We need regulation that is clear, proportionate, and grounded in evidence," she said in a statement to AFP. "Less bureaucracy and more competitiveness -- that's what we promised to citizens." But fellow lawmaker Sandro Gozi, of the centrist Renew group, called the decision "shameful". "It is unacceptable that the EPP, in tandem with the far-right, is trying to undermine a fundamental piece of legislation to protect European citizens from corporate environmental fraud," he said. Since last year's elections saw the EU parliament shift right, the bloc has embarked on a drive to cut red tape seen as hindering economic growth -- including key parts of the environmental "Green Deal" of von der Leyen's first term. Most strikingly, a hard-fought law requiring companies to ensure their global supply chains are free of ethical and environmental abuses has had its rollout pushed back to 2028 -- and its future is in doubt. The green claims bill was one of several EU initiatives clamping down on greenwashing, with a separate law adopted last year that banned broad, generic claims such as labelling products "eco-friendly" or "natural".
Euronews
10 hours ago
- Business
- Euronews
Commission to withdraw greenwashing proposal in new blow to Green Deal
The European Commission intends to withdraw a proposal aimed at combating so-called "greenwashing" by ensuring companies' environmental claims are accurate, substantiated and independently verified, an EU executive spokesperson told reporters today. The proposal on Green Claims was initially presented in March 2023 as part of the broader European Green Deal legislative framework. This move marks the latest in a series of rollbacks of major Green Deal initiatives, after so-called "Omnibus" papers intended to simplify EU legislation effectively narrowed the scope of measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The announcement on the Green Claims Directive came ahead of a final meeting between the Polish EU Council presidency and MEPs scheduled next Monday, which was expected to give the proposal the green light ahead of formal adoption. Its withdrawal at this late stage has taken many by surprise, including the negotiators. When questioned by reporters, Commission officials declined to provide detailed reasons for the decision, saying only that more information would follow. According to parliamentary sources close to the file, chief negotiators socialist MEP Delara Burkhardt and liberal MEP Sandro Gozi still intended to proceed with the trilogue negotiations on Monday, noting that the talks were nearing a successful conclusion. 'It is unacceptable that the Commission blatantly interferes with the progress made by co-legislators on this file,' a member of the Parliament's negotiating team told Euronews, expressing frustration at what they see as a unilateral and premature move. Likewise, Poland's presidency of the EU Council 'is ready to enter constructively into the trilogue and go ahead as planned until there is a clear decision from the Commission [on the withdrawal],' a Polish spokesperson tol Euronews. It remains unclear whether the decision to withdraw the proposal has been formally adopted by the Commission's College, the weekly meeting of the 26 Commissioners and EU President Ursula von der Leyen. Beyond the immediate legislative impact, the move raises broader questions about the Commission's authority to retract its own proposals. While EU treaties do not explicitly grant this power, a 2015 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union affirmed that the Commission may withdraw proposals as part of its right of initiative. However, the Court also made clear that this power is limited and subject to both substantive and procedural constraints. The ruling emphasised that withdrawal should only occur in justified cases, such as institutional deadlock or the proposal becoming obsolete. Neither condition appears to apply in the case of the Green Claims Directive, prompting concerns that the Commission could be overstepping its role and upsetting the institutional balance by exercising a de facto veto over the legislative process.
Fashion United
01-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Green claims: 20 consumer watchdogs write open letter to fashion and textile sector
A total of 20 consumer watchdogs have signed off on a letter calling for the standardisation of requirements for green claims. The letter, which can be read on the website of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), includes signatories from the consumer watchdogs of the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Spain, Poland, France and Hungary. The watchdogs hope that the standard will be raised when it comes to making green claims. 'National laws may differ, but this letter emphasises that the same basic principles apply to companies in many different countries.' International watchdogs take up their pens against greenwashing These basic principles are: ensure that claims are fair, clear and accurate; have enough evidence to support the claim; avoid the use of vague and general terms; and do not focus on future wishes, but focus on measures that have already been taken to achieve goals. Furthermore, the letter states that the watchdogs are calling for self-made certificates to be avoided. 'ICPEN members have seen an increase in environmental labels created by the company itself or external parties. Certificates must give an accurate impression of the environmental impact of the product. If this is not the case, the use of such a label is a misleading claim.' ICPEN also indicates that certificates are sometimes used for marketing an entire product, while the certificate is only valid for a part of the product. Criticism is also being voiced on the use of a 'sustainable' filter in online shops. As the conditions of this filter are often unclear, consumers may get the impression that products are better than they are. ICPEN recommends, for example, converting the filter to specific certificates or to, for example, "at least 50 percent recycled material". ICPEN and the signatories of the letter indicate that they are open to discussions with brands and stakeholders who want to discuss the content of the letter. At European level, work is being done on the Green Claims Directive. The exact legislation is still being tightened and will not come into effect until 2027 at the earliest. Misleading environmental claims are being tackled with the Green Claims Directive and the EU is appointing national watchdogs to enforce it. If a company is found to be in violation of the guidelines, a fine of at least 4 percent of annual turnover can be imposed. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
