EU greenwashing legislation: What the new rules mean for eco-conscious brands

Greenwashing. We’ve all heard of it, we all know what a massive problem it is. Whether it’s intentionally lying about a company’s sustainability or fudging the numbers to make products look more eco-friendly than they really are, greenwashing seriously undermines consumer trust in genuine ethical brands – and not to mention, it does nothing for the planet either.

In January this year, the EU passed new legislation to help put a stop to greenwashing claims on products sold in their markets. And when the EU Commission found that 53% of green claims were vague or misleading, and 40% had no evidence to back them up, is it any wonder why?

As translators who specialise in supporting sustainable brands with their marketing across Europe, we know that this legislation is on everyone’s minds right now. Whether you’re an eco-conscious brand already selling in the EU or you’re looking to expand and sell your products there, you have to get clued up on what’s coming.

But we know what it’s like – parsing through the details of EU law is no one’s favourite task, especially when your expertise is marketing, not legal compliance. So to help you out, here are five things you need to know about the EU’s new greenwashing regulations.

 

Everyone will have to comply

Before we get into what the legislation actually includes, the first thing to note is that there really isn’t any getting around it. The rules are currently going through the final process of being approved by the EU Council, but once they pass that stage they’ll be adopted into law by all EU member states within two years.

After that, it’ll be enforced across the entire bloc. It doesn’t matter if your products are made outside of the EU or if your company isn’t based in any of the member states – if you want to sell your products in any EU market, they’ll have to be in compliance with the new rules.

 

It’s all about evidence

OK, onto what’s actually in the legislation. Let’s start with the headline facts. If there’s one thing you absolutely have to know about the new green claims rules, it’s that it’s all about what you can back up.

We’ve all seen brands that label their products as “green” or “eco-friendly” and wondered, “How exactly?” Is it that the packaging is biodegradable? Are they framing locally sourced ingredients as sustainable? Or are they calling themselves a green brand because some of their profit goes into planting trees, when nothing has changed about waste practices or water consumption?

That’s exactly the kind of confusion that the EU’s new anti-greenwashing rules were designed to stop. From now on, any business selling in the EU can’t make any claims about being eco-friendly unless they can back it up with evidence. That means labels on sustainable products will have to include specific information about their green credentials – such as where the raw materials came from, what the manufacturing process was and how waste is managed.

 

No more false labelling

Another key part of the legislation is preventing brands from suggesting they’re more sustainable than they really are. This might sound like it’s covered by the “no green claims without evidence” rule, but it’s actually about heading off claims that may be factually true, but don’t mean much of anything.

Take plastic microbeads, for example. It’s pretty easy for health and beauty brands today to score some eco points by saying their products are now free from harmful plastic microbeads. But why is it so easy? Because plastic microbeads have been banned in most major markets anyway – so while it might be a true statement, it doesn’t mean they’re any more sustainable than the next product on the shelf.

The big thing to watch for under the new rules is claiming to be carbon neutral. Because the effects of so many carbon offsetting schemes are almost impossible to verify, the EU has ruled that brands can’t label their products as carbon neutral if they rely on carbon offsetting to achieve that.

 

More standardised environmental labels are coming

The EU Commission’s investigations into greenwashing didn’t just reveal how many vague and misleading green claims were out there. It also found that there were as many as 230 different kinds of sustainability labels and 100 kinds of energy labels currently in use throughout the EU.

Even if each of those kinds of labels were factually accurate – which we’ve already established is far from the truth – that’s a very confusing landscape for consumers to pick their way through. To help solve that, the new legislation will also work on regulating sustainability labels so that they’re more standardised for consumers, and based on only officially certified sustainability schemes.

 

More honesty around durability

We all love products that last longer, especially when we’re trying to be more sustainable about what we buy and throw fewer things out. But when companies say their products are more durable than they really are to score some eco-friendly points? Well, that’s just a greenwashing sin.

Under the EU’s new rules, companies will have to be far more transparent about how long their products last. Any durability claims that aren’t backed up by evidence are out, as is saying that something can be repaired if it can’t. And if your products have any guarantees, the details around those have to be made much more visible.

These rules also apply the other way, too. Companies can no longer suggest products need replacing far earlier than they actually do.

 

Whether you’re already selling in the EU or you’re planning to expand your products to European markets, there’s more to consider than complying with legislation. As well as being factually accurate and backed up by evidence, your marketing still needs to be localised to each market and culture to build trust with your customers.

With expert translators and transcreators specialising in the European market, our team can not only support you in getting the right words for your sustainability marketing, but also the right message and impact that comes from understanding culture as well as language.

To find out more about how translation and localisation can help with taking your products into the EU market, read our article on choosing a translation partner or get in touch.