✏️ The main elements of the design proposal are listed below:
✅ When making claims (such as Net Zero 2030), companies must prove their commitment to implementing improvements within their value chains. (Instead of relying solely on compensation)
✅ Companies should clarify whether a claim applies to the entire product or only to specific parts of it. For example, they cannot claim "Carbon Neutral" if only the packaging is, but the contents are not. So collecting lifecycle data will be crucial.
✅ Negative interactions should also be included. For example, when a reduction in water consumption leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions.
📋 Brands & companies will therefore have to provide proof before making their claims public:
1. Have claims independently verified & substantiated by science.
2. Provide specificity, accuracy without deception.
3. Don't exaggerate the benefit, focus on significant environmental impacts.
4. Be transparent about the negative effects, if they exist.
5. Proactively deliver reliable, understandable and verifiable objective evidence tailored to all stakeholders.
💸 Penalties for failure to provide evidence may include fines, confiscation of income & temporary exclusion from public tenders and government funding.
⚖️ This proposal is of course still being discussed & can be adjusted by the European Parliament. After approval, member states would have 2 years to put the directive into national law.
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