The EU Ecolabel is preparing for a major boost thanks to the new and upcoming legislation highlighting the label’s role in supporting the EU’s green transition.
The label is explicitly recognised as a trustworthy, third-party certification of environmental excellence in various legislative texts, signalling to companies that EU Ecolabel certification makes good business sense and to consumers that it’s a label they can rely on.
The market is full of environmental claims and labels with different levels of credibility. With stricter upcoming EU rules on sustainability labels and environmental claims, it’s likely that many existing environmental labels will fall short of compliance, furthering the reliability of the EU Ecolabel.
For businesses, aligning with the EU Ecolabel will not only ensure compliance, but also build consumer trust and provide a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.
A level playing field for companies
The EU Ecolabel will be supported by three pieces of legislation creating a comprehensive framework for empowering consumer choice and ensuring more sustainable products in the EU marketplace.
The recently adopted Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition prohibits the use of sustainability labels that are not based on a certification scheme or not instituted by public authorities. Moreover, it bans generic environmental claims, such as ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘green’, ‘ecological’, unless excellent environmental performance is demonstrated through either the EU Ecolabel or a labelling scheme established by public authorities.
The proposed Directive on Green Claims will complement this legislation through additional requirements on how green claims should be communicated and substantiated, and specific provisions on environmental labels. The EU Ecolabel is exempt from this legislation because already covered by EU law and it is therefore a safe ecolabel for industry to invest in.
The integration of the EU Ecolabel into the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is yet another huge vote of confidence, as the EU Ecolabel could serve as evidence of adherence to the Regulations’ eco-design requirements, reducing the burden on manufacturers.
Increased consumer confidence
A Eurobarometer poll published in October 2023 showed that 73% of consumers consider that a products environmental impact is important when making a purchasing decision. However, the growing trend of eco-branding makes it hard to tell which claims can be trusted.
The EU Ecolabel aims to address legitimate questions, such as which goods or services are truly better for the environment or which environmental claims can be trusted. With the integration of the EU Ecolabel in new and forthcoming legislation, its credibility will be given a welcome boost, making it even more effective in combating ‘greenwashing’ and guiding consumers towards genuinely sustainable options.
All in all, the new and upcoming legislation is a dynamic stride towards a greener, more transparent EU market. It aligns the eco-efforts of manufacturers with consumers expectations, propelling the EU towards a resource-efficient, competitive economy. Furthermore, it empowers consumers to make informed choices, transforming daily shopping into a powerful lever for environmental change.
Want to learn about the opportunities available to businesses with the EU Ecolabel and green legislation? The European Environment Bureau and the European Consumer Organisation recently organised the “Surfing green policies: opportunities for sustainable businesses” webinar – catch up to understand the EU sustainability landscape better and surf the waves of change.
More information
Details
- Publication date
- 24 June 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
