Goodbye greenwashing

Editorial Manfred Schlösser, Editor-in-Chief PSI Journal

In advertising, claims are made to describe and convey messages about companies, products and services. Green claims are messages related to the environment, which are intended to signal environmental friendliness and now accompany almost every product. What is used frequently because it is supposed to be of great use is often used incorrectly, either deliberately or negligently. According to a study by the European Commission, 53 per cent of all such claims were vague, misleading or entirely unsubstantiated. It is time to put an end to this.

While clicking through the homepages of promotional products businesses, you will find thousands of claims such as “eco”, “green”, “environmentally friendly”, “ecological”, “biodegradable” or even “climate-neutral”. All of this will be banned in the future if it is not based on proven environmental performance. As a rule, these green claims must have undergone an external testing system and received a certificate of conformity.

This is intended to protect consumers from unsubstantiated and ambiguous advertising and concerns all companies that put goods or services on the market. Those who ignore the warnings will face severe penalties. Small and micro-enterprises are exempt for the time being. But for how long?  

We can only hope that the Green Claims Directive does not lead to unpleasant competition disputes and lawsuits. It will take some time before all undefined claims are corrected and then fall under the ban. In other business sectors, interest associations often form clearing houses in similar situations  – not for the sake of arbitration, rather as neutral reporting offices which ensure anonymity. It is then the association that points out the company’s mistakes and calls for remedial action.

In an industry with an almost infinite number of products coming from the Far East, it will require a great deal of attention to ensure that the new regulations are implemented in practice. And it surely will also cost more money and create more cumbersome bureaucracy. It is all the more important to ensure that the new “rules of the game” are monitored to the same extent throughout Europe and that violations are sanctioned.  In this regard, we definitely do not need a “two-speed Europe”. The speed of business already varies enough around the world.  

So let’s hope that the world without greenwashing will ultimately be fairer, cleaner, more transparent and conducive to healthy competition.

On this note,

Manfred Schlösser, Editor-in-Chief PSI Journal