Evidence required
Product advertising with environmental soda is regulated more strictly
Anyone who advertises their product as “sustainable” can certainly impress some consumers. But what about such statements? Companies will have to prove this in the future.
There will be stricter rules for product advertising with general environmental statements such as “sustainable” or “environmentally friendly”. Such descriptions should only be allowed if they can also be proven. This provides for a draft law adopted by the Federal Cabinet, with which EU law is implemented. A transition period until the end of September next year is planned.
These environmental statements must not be used to the entire product if they actually only apply to part of the product advertised with it. In addition, advertising statements such as “by 2030 all of our packaging must be fully recyclable” in the future a realistic, publicly visible implementation plan, as the Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection announced.
Advertising with environmental statements must be verifiable
“Anyone who advertises with environmental statements should also be able to prove their claims,” said Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD). “This is in the interest of consumers who want to make an informed purchase decision.” However, it is also in the interest of all honest companies who wanted to score with applicable statements from consumers.
According to the ministry, particularly strict rules apply to advertising with statements on CO2 emissions. In the future, applying a product with statements such as “climate-neutral” will no longer be permitted if the alleged climate neutrality is achieved through the acquisition of CO2 certificates.
No more self -certification for sustainability seals
Self -certifications for sustainability seals that highlight ecological or social features of a product, procedure or business activity will no longer be possible in the future. Rather, such seals are to be set by government agencies or are based on certification systems that provide for a review by third parties.
dpa
Source: Stern
