Screening of websites for ‘greenwashing': half of green claims lack evidence
Screening of websites for ‘greenwashing': half of green claims lack evidence
Análisis de sitios web para detectar el "lavado verde": la mitad de las afirmaciones ecológicas carecen de pruebas
Today, the European Commission and national consumer authorities released the results of a screening of websites (“sweep”), an exercise carried out each year to identify breaches of EU consumer law in online markets. This year, for the first time ever, the sweep focused on ‘greenwashing', the practice by which companies claim they are doing more for the environment than they actually are. The “sweep” analysed green online claims from various business sectors such as garments, cosmetics and household equipment. National consumer protection authorities had reason to believe that in 42% of cases the claims were exaggerated, false or deceptive and could potentially qualify as unfair commercial practices under EU rules. ‘Greenwashing' has increased as consumers increasingly seek to buy environmentally sound products.
La Comisión Europea y las autoridades nacionales de consumo han hecho públicos hoy los resultados de un cribado de sitios web ("barrido"), un ejercicio que se lleva a cabo cada año para detectar las infracciones de la legislación comunitaria sobre consumo en los mercados en línea. Este año, por primera vez, el barrido se ha centrado en el "lavado verde", la práctica por la que las empresas afirman que hacen más por el medio ambiente de lo que realmente hacen. El "barrido" analizó las afirmaciones ecológicas en línea de varios sectores empresariales, como el de la ropa, los cosméticos y el equipamiento del hogar. Las autoridades nacionales de protección de los consumidores tenían motivos para creer que en el 42% de los casos las afirmaciones eran exageradas, falsas o engañosas y podían considerarse prácticas comerciales desleales según la normativa de la UE. El "lavado verde" ha aumentado a medida que los consumidores buscan cada vez más comprar productos respetuosos con el medio ambiente.
Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, said: “More and more people want to live a green life, and I applaud companies that strive to produce eco-friendly products or services. However, there are also unscrupulous traders out there, who pull the wool over consumers' eyes with vague, false or exaggerated claims. The Commission is fully committed to empowering consumers in the green transition and fighting greenwashing. This is precisely one of the main priorities of the New Consumer Agenda adopted last autumn.”
Didier Reynders, Comisario de Justicia, dijo: "Cada vez son más las personas que quieren llevar una vida ecológica, y aplaudo a las empresas que se esfuerzan por fabricar productos o servicios ecológicos. Sin embargo, también hay comerciantes sin escrúpulos que engañan a los consumidores con afirmaciones vagas, falsas o exageradas. La Comisión está plenamente comprometida con la capacitación de los consumidores en la transición ecológica y la lucha contra el "greenwashing". Esta es precisamente una de las principales prioridades de la Nueva Agenda del Consumidor adoptada el pasado otoño".
Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor www.DeepL.com/Translator
Main findings:
After a broader screening, the Commission and consumer authorities examined 344 seemingly dubious claims in more detail and found that:
- In more than half of the cases, the trader did not provide sufficient information for consumers to judge the claim's accuracy.
- In 37% of cases, the claim included vague and general statements such as “conscious”, “eco-friendly”, “sustainable” which aimed to convey the unsubstantiated impression to consumers that a product had no negative impact on the environment.
- Moreover, in 59% of cases the trader had not provided easily accessible evidence to support its claim.
In their overall assessments, taking various factors into account, in 42% of cases authorities had reason to believe that the claim may be false or deceptive and could therefore potentially amount to an unfair commercial practice under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD).
Tras un examen más amplio, la Comisión y las autoridades de consumo examinaron con más detalle 344 alegaciones aparentemente dudosas y descubrieron que:
En más de la mitad de los casos, el comerciante no proporcionaba suficiente información para que los consumidores pudieran juzgar la exactitud de la declaración.
En el 37% de los casos, la declaración incluía afirmaciones vagas y generales, como "consciente", "ecológico" o "sostenible", que pretendían transmitir a los consumidores la impresión infundada de que el producto no tenía un impacto negativo en el medio ambiente.
Además, en el 59% de los casos el comerciante no había aportado pruebas fácilmente accesibles para respaldar su afirmación.
En sus evaluaciones generales, teniendo en cuenta varios factores, en el 42% de los casos las autoridades tenían motivos para creer que la alegación podía ser falsa o engañosa y, por tanto, podía constituir una práctica comercial desleal con arreglo a la Directiva sobre prácticas comerciales desleales (DPCD).
Next steps
National authorities will contact the companies concerned to point out the issues detected and to ensure that these are rectified where necessary. The findings of this sweep will feed into the impact assessment to be prepared for the new legislative proposal to empower consumers for the green transition, which was announced in the New Consumer Agenda.
Las autoridades nacionales se pondrán en contacto con las empresas afectadas para señalar los problemas detectados y garantizar que se rectifiquen cuando sea necesario. Los resultados de este barrido se incorporarán a la evaluación de impacto que se preparará para la nueva propuesta legislativa destinada a capacitar a los consumidores para la transición ecológica, anunciada en la Nueva Agenda del Consumidor.
Background
A "sweep" is a set of checks carried out simultaneously on different websites to identify possible breaches of EU consumer law in a particular sector. This year the “sweep” focused on companies claiming to sell environmentally friendly products.
Sweeps are coordinated by the European Commission and carried out yearly by national enforcement authorities in the EU, gathered in the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC). Information on previous sweeps can be found here.
This year's sweep was not only coordinated with consumer enforcement authorities in Europe, but around the globe, under the umbrella of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN). Today ICPEN are also releasing their results, which show similar trends.
The screening of websites with the focus on ‘greenwashing' is one of several initiatives the Commission undertakes in order to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices. Another initiative is the Green Consumption Pledge which Commissioner Reynders launched on the 25th of January 2021 as well as a legislative proposal to empower consumers for the green transition with better information on products' sustainability and better protection against certain practices, such as ‘greenwashing' and early obsolescence. Furthermore, a legislative proposal on the substantiation of green claims based on the Environmental Footprint methods will follow.
As part of its Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission will propose harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling to empower consumers to make informed, healthy, and sustainable food choices. For various household appliances, the EU energy label already provides a clear and simple indication of the energy efficiency of products, thus making it easier for consumers to save money on household energy bills while reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the EU.
According to a recent Consumer Market Monitoring Survey, 78% of consumers found the likely environmental impact of household appliances very important or fairly important when making their choice.
For more information
Factsheet on the Regulation on consumer protection.
More information on your rights as a consumer in the EU
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_269
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/en/ip_21_269/IP_21_269_EN.pdf
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- https://cleanclothes.org/
- https://fashionchecker.org/
- https://fashionchecker.org/brand-profile.html?q=11708
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