GREENWASHING KIT*
*to act and communicate according to the highest standards of responsibility
UNLOCK THE POWER OF RESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION.
The European Union adopted a proposal for new greenwashing regulations earlier this year: the Green Claims Directive. The directive is part of the European Green Deal to support the green transition by enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions based on credible environmental claims and labels. In other words, to protect consumers from greenwashing. But the directive is also there to simply give more legal certainty in regards to environmental claims and to create a level playing fields on the European market.
Still the rules can be a bit overwhelming. If you don’t have a legal background, it’s tough to go through the 80 pages long Green Claims Directive proposal. Most EU countries have their own ‘watchdog’ organisations that check if companies comply with the Green Claims Directive. They have created their own guidance documents that follow the EU rules on green claims.
On this page, we have compiled the latest greenwashing guidelines for you, and listed them for every EU country. The US and UK adopted similar rules on sustainability communication, which you can also find here.
Don’t worry, you do not have to go through all the documents. We did the research for you and in the essence, they tell you the same things. However, if you operate in or focus on a specific market, or if you are setting up an internal compliance procedure for sustainability claims, the guidelines are good resources for you.
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Lottis mini text with her opinion
WHAT IS GREENWASHING?
Greenwashing
Greenwashing happens when companies - intentionally or unintentionally - make themselves or their products come across as more sustainable or ‘green’ than they actually are.
Source: The Sustainability Club
WHO NEEDS TO COMPLY WITH THE RULES?
Do you want to take responsibility as a company and make sure that you operate in line with (upcoming) sustainability regulations? We specialize in helping fashion brands to implement sustainability and become the most responsible version of themselves. We are here for the companies, CEO's and professionals who choose to act.
We make future heroes out of:
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Multinationals
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SME’s
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Ambitious start-ups
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Fashion professionals
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Want to discover how?
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH THE RULES?
Do you want to take responsibility as a company and make sure that you operate in line with (upcoming) sustainability regulations? We specialize in helping fashion brands to implement sustainability and become the most responsible version of themselves. We are here for the companies, CEO's and professionals who choose to act.
We make future heroes out of:
-
Multinationals
-
SME’s
-
Ambitious start-ups
-
Fashion professionals
​
Want to discover how?
HOW TO AVOID GREENWASHING?
If you want to make complaint sustainability claims, these are some important points to keep in mind:
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It is not allowed to claim that a product or service is 'sustainable', 'conscious', or 'ethical' unless you can provide substantial proof.
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A sustainability filter in a webshop may not be called 'sustainable', 'sustainability', 'conscious choice' etc. The name of a sustainability filter should specifically describe what sustainability benefits the products in that criteria have, like for example ‘recycled materials’.
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If you communicate about your company's future sustainability ambition, you need to have and share a clear action plan on how to achieve it.
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If it is required by law, it does not count as a sustainability benefit.
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If you use carbon offsetting as a strategy for carbon reduction, you may not claim carbon neutrality.
You can use our greenwashing checklist as a good resource for making sustainability claims.
Source: The Sustainability Club
GREENWASHING CHECKLIST
This checklist is aligned with the latest rules for making sustainability claims about products or services sold on the Dutch market. Follow these guidelines if you want to make sure your sustainability claims are compliant.
If you really want to be sure when making claims, seek legal advice
We had a look for you how the guidelines are adapted within the different legislation. Good for us the rules are in general very similar but if you are focusing on a specific country you can have a look at the specific country rules linked below.
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GUIDELINES AND OFFICIAL LEGAL TEXT PER COUNTRY
The European Union is giving its member states two years to adapt the green claims directive into local law. A lot of countries did that already and created guides in local language to make green claims.
Austria
Responsible Authority: Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI)
Greenwashing check VKI: https://konsument.at/greenwashing-check
Belgium
Responsible Authority: Jury voor Ethische Praktijken inzake reclame (JEP)
Guidelines Allégations environnementales:
Bulgaria
Responsible Authority: National Ethical Standards for Advertising and Commercial Communication
Are adapting EU legislation but we couldn't yet find the regulations or guidelines in local law.
Croatia
Responsible Authority: Croatian Consumer Protection Act (CPA)
Are adapting EU legislation but we couldn't yet find the regulations or guidelines in local law.
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Want to discover how?
Do you want to take responsibility as a company and make sure that you operate in line with (upcoming) sustainability regulations? We specialize in helping fashion brands to implement sustainability and become the most responsible version of themselves. We are here for the companies, CEO's and professionals who choose to act.
We make future heroes out of:
-
Multinationals
-
SME’s
-
Ambitious start-ups
-
Fashion professionals
​
Want to discover how?
Do you want to take responsibility as a company and make sure that you operate in line with (upcoming) sustainability regulations? We specialize in helping fashion brands to implement sustainability and become the most responsible version of themselves. We are here for the companies, CEO's and professionals who choose to act.
We make future heroes out of:
-
Multinationals
-
SME’s
-
Ambitious start-ups
-
Fashion professionals
​
Want to discover how?
EXTRA INTRO TEXT
UK and US fall outside the Green Claims Directive, but they have their own set of rules for sustainability communications.
Short description of the similarities to EU and the differences + mention the format of the US Green Guides, with rules for the different type of claims
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UK
Responsible Authority: Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) - Green Claims Code
Guides from the CMA:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/misleading-environmental-claims
US
Responsible Authority: Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) - Green Guides
Summary of the green guides: https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_events/975753/ftc_-_environmental_claims_summary_of_the_green_guides.pdf
Full text with examples:
GREENWASHING TRAINING
Learn to communicate in line with the Green Claims Directive
Ready to take your sustainability narrative to the next level? Let's chat. Together, we'll amplify your voice, uphold transparency, and elevate your brand as a true future hero. Contact us to unlock the power of responsible communication.
