Updated Tuesday, March 26, 2024-11:29
Climate change
and
its consequences in recent years have
raised awareness
and changed habits both among individuals and in the business world, a positive transformation but which, like so many things, also has a negative side: those
fishermen with few scruples
who, as they say As the saying goes, they take advantage of the troubled river to obtain profits.
In a context in which even large funds require that actions be taken to protect the climate as a requirement for making investments, and where many citizens study product labels in search of clues about their environmental footprint, some corporations have
wanted to take benefit by relying
, without much evidence but too often,
on prefixes as inaccurate as "bio" or "eco"
.
For this reason, the
European Union has just approved a
directive
with the aim of combating "eco-imposture"
, what is known as
greenwashing
. This directive, which EU member states must transpose within a maximum period of two years, seeks
to fight against ecological fraud
by strengthening protection against unfair commercial practices and, above all, to protect consumers.
That is,
the EU standardizes what is and what is not ecologically sustainable so that no company or sector can take advantage of legal loopholes
and obtain a competitive advantage in an unfair manner. This guarantees a free and equal market for both companies and consumers.
The long-awaited legislation on
greenwashing
modifies two regulations from 2005 and 2011, respectively, on unfair commercial practices and consumer rights with the aim of reinforcing "the path of ecological transition"; This
is expected to ensure that each citizen can make informed purchasing decisions
that also contribute to reducing the impact of climate change and create routines of sustainable practices.
This directive puts
a stop to fraud that unbalances the market: that of fallacious environmental claims
, misleading information about the social characteristics of products or companies and that of sustainability badges that are not very transparent and credible.
In this context,
the EU prohibits for the first time "generic environmental claims without recognized excellent environmental performance that is relevant to the claim"
. What does this mean? Than some of the most repeated business mantras in recent years like "bio-sourced", "environmentally friendly", "green", "good for nature", "eco-friendly", "climate friendly", " "carbon-friendly" or "energy-efficient" are banned without parameters to support it.
The standard also legislates cases in which "the merchant gives the impression of using only renewable energy sources when, in reality, several of its business facilities continue to use fossil fuels." That is,
it restricts the use of confusing statements that grant certain values to an entire product or company
when, in reality, they are only applicable to a specific aspect of the good or a specific activity of the company.
Likewise, the text also
prohibits the display of sustainability badges that are not based on a recognized certification system
or that have not been established by public authorities. And if the data published regarding the environmental footprint of a company's activities is based on the offset system, it will not be possible to ensure that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
Specifically, the European directive refers to claims such as "climate neutral", "certified carbon neutrality", "carbon positive", "net zero emissions", "climate compensated", "reduced climate impact" or "reduced CO2 footprint", among others. For the EU, these claims can only be made if they are based "on the real life cycle impact of the product, and not on the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions outside the product value chain, since one and another are not equivalent".
The Spanish Government has just initiated the procedures to transfer the directive to our legal system
, since it considers that it is not only a form of deception for the consumer, but also
causes damage to companies that do not engage in these bad practices
due to unfair competition ( "those who genuinely care and are most committed to improving their levels of sustainability are especially harmed," as he maintains).
Thanks to awareness, the acronym
ESG
(environment, social and governance, for its acronym in English) has ceased to be a simple almost advertising claim to become an element almost as
essential in companies
as the management of the financial balance sheet. .
The advancement of (good) sustainability policies has pushed legislators around the world to
accelerate the pace to provide an adequate legal framework that rewards truly environmentally friendly practices
and punishes
greenwashing
.
Examples of
bad practices
exist in almost every sector. The
ambition to be among the companies best considered
environmentally or the repositioning of brands traditionally linked to the exploitation of natural resources, for example, has been too great a temptation in some cases.
Using ESG policies as a marketing tool means that authentic environmentally sustainable measures are not implemented
and that the goals are not important, only the appearance.
Therefore, making all companies the same in what they can say and how they can say it is essential to
guarantee that the consumer receives truthful information
. The companies that do take environmental objectives seriously will win and, above all, the citizen will win.
Made by UE Studio
This text has been developed by UE Studio, a creative branded content and content marketing firm of Unidad Editorial, for FORO MERCADO LIBRE.