Green Claims Directive Consultation

The Green Claims Directive (“GCD”) was adopted by the European Commission in March 2023. The main objective of the GCD is to tackle the risk of consumers being misled by companies over the purchase of products with environmental claims. Essentially, it aims to protect consumers from ‘greenwashing’ which is the process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company’s product is environmentally sound.

The Directive sets out common criteria that businesses must meet to make compliant environmental claims about their products. These criteria apply to a wide range of claims, including waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, and carbon footprint. EU Member States must implement the requirements in national laws, the current expected enforcement will be around 2027.

Position on Green Claims is the position document from the European Brands Association which focuses on the recommendation for amendment to the Council’s position. Please advise the SFA if you support this proposal in its current form. Please take the time to review the following steps and provide any feedback as appropriate to jonathan.mcdade@sfa.ie by 5pm on Tuesday 18 March.

If you can, please consider providing examples of past and upcoming sustainability investments to stress the urgency of addressing the Green Claims Directive and emphasise the point that without action, companies will not be able to communicate these investments and could redirect them elsewhere.

The SFA, in collaboration with Ibec will collate your feedback and present to national representatives ahead of the second trilogue in April. If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact Jonathan McDade at any time.

A good overview of the Directive can be found here.

For questions on this topic, please contact SFA Public Affairs Lead, Jonathan McDade - Tel: 01 605 1688 or Email: jonathan.mcdade@sfa.ie.