EU scraps Green Claims Directive
Proposed law falls victim to current political pushback against sustainability regulation in Europe
The European Commission is scrapping its flagship anti-greenwashing law, it has confirmed today.
A Commission spokesperson told reporters that it “intends to withdraw” the proposed Green Claims Directive, in the face of mounting opposition from conservative politicians.
It is an extremely unusual move, saved for instances in which civil servants know they won’t be able to reach a reasonable compromise with co-legislators.
If passed, the directive would have required companies to back up their environmental claims with evidence, to safeguard customers from being misled.
It mirrors similar efforts made in Canada recently.
Since it was first tabled in 2023, companies and trade bodies have complained that the law would be too burdensome for businesses, and that flouting it would be costly.
As a result, it has become the latest target of a political campaign, led by the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), to kill off the EU’s sustainability-related regulation.
Earlier this week, both the EPP and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party demanded the directive was axed.
The EPP’s Arba Kokalari said the Commission hadn’t followed due process when developing the rules.
Final legislative negotiations were scheduled to take place on Monday (June 23rd) but it appears they will now be shelved.