{"id":19763,"date":"2023-07-13T14:25:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T12:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longtimelabel.com\/sustainability-beware-of-greenwashing\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T14:11:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T13:11:02","slug":"sustainability-beware-of-greenwashing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longtimelabel.com\/en\/news\/sustainability-beware-of-greenwashing\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability: beware of greenwashing!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For the first time this year, the European Commission has turned its attention to greenwashing, with the aim of sweeping up the environmental claims made on numerous websites in various sectors, including household equipment.
The European Commission reminds us that communication must respect rules and be transparent.<\/p>\n

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Greenwashing on the web, results of the EU survey<\/h2>\n

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In almost every other case, the environmental claims<\/strong> \u201csustainable\u201d, \u201cenvironmentally friendly\u201d and \u201ceco-friendly\u201d were vague<\/strong> or overstated, without any proof, or even downright misleading<\/strong>. Some claims could even be considered unfair commercial practices under EU regulations.
At global level, the International Consumer Protection and Control Network (ICPCN) makes the same observation.<\/strong> Fraud levels are roughly equivalent, which is hardly surprising given that \u201d More and more people want to adopt an ecological lifestyle<\/strong> (\u2026)\u201d stresses European Commissioner Didier Reynders. Unscrupulous commercial operators seek to lure consumers with misleading claims.
The fight against greenwashing is one of the priorities of the new consumer agenda adopted<\/strong> by the European Union in autumn 2020<\/strong>. The aim is to give consumers the means to become players in the ecological transition. In addition, the EU and its 27 members will be able to rely on a legislative proposal concerning the justification of environmental claims.<\/p>\n

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What are the risks of Greenwashing?<\/h2>\n

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In addition to the reputational risk, misleading communication has been recorded since 2005 in DIRECTIVE 2005\/29\/EC<\/a> as a commercial practice deemed to be misleading<\/strong>. This reference text was updated in 2019 by Directive (EU) 2019\/2161.
In Europe, sanctions for deceptive commercial practices, which include greenwashing, depend on the laws of each country. In France, misleading commercial practices are subject to heavy criminal penalties, so it\u2019s best to take precautions:<\/p>\n