The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to ban misleading advertising and provide consumers with better product information: the agreement updates the existing EU list of prohibited commercial practices and adds several problematic marketing habits related to greenwashing and premature obsolescence of goods.
The goal of the new rules is to protect consumers from deceptive practices and help them make better purchasing choices.
Essentially:
- Generic environmental claims and other misleading marketing gimmicks will be banned . The ban will also apply to commercial communications relating to goods that contain design elements introduced to limit the durability of the product.
- Only sustainability labels based on certification schemes approved or established by public authorities will be permitted.
- Warranty information will be more visible and a new warranty extension label will be introduced.
What will be prohibited
Prohibitions against greenwashing :- Stop generic environmental claims that are not accompanied by evidence of "excellent and recognized" environmental performance relevant to the claim. No more “environmentally friendly” detergents, “natural” packaging, “biodegradable” dishes, “eco” or “climate neutral” shoes, unless these claims are supported by scientific evidence;
- Carbon offsetting can no longer be used to claim that a product has a “zero” or reduced or positive impact on the environment;
- Stop sustainability labels that are not based "on certification schemes approved or established by public authorities".
- Advertising of goods with planned obsolescence (that is, designed to age prematurely) will be prohibited ;
- It cannot be indicated, without being able to demonstrate, that a good will have a certain duration;
- It is forbidden to invite the consumer to replace consumables , such as printer ink cartridges, before what is strictly necessary;
- Prohibited from presenting software updates as necessary. While these updates only improve features;
- Pay attention to the indications on repairability : this must also be demonstrated
New harmonized label to highlight products with extended guarantees
MEPs successfully pushed for guarantee information to be made more visible, as many people are unaware that all goods have a guarantee of at least two years in the EU.The Commission is also tasked with designing a new label for manufacturers who wish to highlight the quality of their products by extending the warranty period free of charge.
The path of the new Directive
To become law, the provisional agreement will now have to get the final approval of both Parliament and the Council. The MEP vote is expected to take place in November 2023.When the directive enters into force, member states will have 24 months to transpose the new rules into their legislation. (Source: https://www.foodandtec.com/ )