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On 28 January, the EU Commission issued the results of a screening of websites exercise carried out each year to identify breaches of EU consumer law in online markets. The focus this year was on ‘greenwashing’ or misleading environmental claims.
The exercise analysed green online claims from various business sectors such as garments, cosmetics and household equipment. Preliminary information highlighted national consumer protection authorities had reason to believe that in 42% of cases the claims were exaggerated, false or deceptive and could potentially qualify as unfair commercial practices under EU rules. The full report and findings are yet to be published.
National authorities will contact the companies concerned to point out the issues detected and to ensure that these are rectified where necessary.
For more information, please check this press release from the EU Commission. For guidance on environmental and green claims, you can review the CTPA Guide to Environmental and Green Claims.