How the EU plans to redress ‘greenwashing’

Published : May 23, 2023 15:59 IST - 5 MINS READ In an effort to prevent greenwashing and improve transparency for consumers, the European Commission introduced a proposal for a directive titled “Green Claims Directive”, in March. Breitsamer’s CO2-neutral honey Regarding the label used by Breitsamer’s honey, Morales was quick to point out that the Green Claims Directive does not cover claims about fair trade business practices. Under the Green Claims Directive, “they will need to be transparent, and to clarify what part of this corresponds to a reduction of emissions, and what part of the emissions are compensated for,” Morales said. Shell’s ‘respecting nature’ webpage Shell is one of the largest oil companies in the world in terms of market value and is among the top contributors to climate change, but its website comprises an entire section called “powering progress”, which consists of green claims, including bullet points that highlight some of the company’s environmental goals. “I think these claims would fail to pass under the Green Claims Directive,” said Morales, “because the company needs to demonstrate that the environmental impacts for which they’re making claims are significant to the full life cycle of their product.” The claims here are focussed on relatively minor aspects of Shell’s business while completely ignoring its direct contribution to climate change.