- Green Lifestyle
A bill against greenwashing.
Kristin Oldenburg
Being and acting “green” is currently a trend. And companies are aiming to make their communication as green (and effective) as possible. The downside of it though (or upside, depending on how you look at it) is, that sooner or later it will be revealed whether it is a creative slogan or a genuine effort for more sustainability. To make things easier for consumers in the future, the EU presented a draft law in February that will make it easier to identify such fake green claims and greenwashing.
Consistent. Verifiable. Comprehensible.
The EU Commission states, that “The proposed directive would require Member States to ensure that minimum requirements for substantiation and communication are respected by companies when they make voluntary green claims. Member States will be responsible for setting up verification and enforcement processes, to be performed by independent and accredited verifiers (…).” And further: “Companies will have to ensure the reliability of their voluntary environmental claims, and communicate their claims in a transparent way.”**
But: This is not about mandatory information, but voluntary statements. A start, a minimum – but still. A regulation is necessary in any case: A study by the EU from 2020 showed that 53.3 percent of the advertising claims on environmental and climate friendliness in the EU were “vague, misleading, or unfounded” and 40 percent were “untenable”***.
All that remains for us to say is: Our coffees are 100% organic – as you can tell from the Naturland and Demeter labels.
They are 100% traded fairly – that’s what the Fair Trade Certified label stands for.
And they are very, very tasty. At least to us. And you obviously enjoy them, too, as you can see from the Trusted Shops ratings and your comments on Instagram and Facebook. Anyone who wants to know more about the certifications: We’ve explained them for you in the encyclopedia on our website. Check it out.
* www.nachhaltige-deals.de/nachhaltiger-leben/greenwashing-beispiele/
**ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_1693
***www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2023-03/eu-werbung-greenwashing-mindeststandards-reparatur
