The Green Claims Directive would require firms to substantiate their climate-friendly claims with evidence. DW looks at how existing claims by the likes of H&M and Shell would fare once the law comes into effect.
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In an effort to prevent greenwashing and improve transparency for consumers, the European Commission introduced a proposal for the Green Claims Directive in March.
Greenwashing is when an organization spreads false or misleading information to present an environmentally friendly image of itself.
A recent study by the European Commission looked at 150 environmental claims and found that 53.3% of them provided "vague, misleading or unfounded information on products' environmental characteristics."
Currently, unverifiable claims in the EU can be penalized under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. But according to Blanca Morales, senior coordinator for EU Ecolabel at the European Environmental Bureau, the existing legislation is not sufficient.
"It's an end-of-the-pipe solution," Morales told DW, adding that when authorities challenge a company's claims, the process involves an investigation which can take years.
"In the meantime, the harm is done because the claim is on the market and the companies are benefiting from their marketing argument," Morales said.
Under the Green Claims Directive, all claims about a product's sustainability would need to be backed up by evidence.
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