ASI and the Proposed EU Green Claims Directive

9 May 2023

In March 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive on Green Claims. The Proposed Green Claims Directive would contribute to the EU’s green transition towards a circular, climate-neutral and clean economy by creating a common methodology for the substantiation of green claims that concern the environmental footprint of products, services and companies.  The EU Green Claims Directive, as well as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition, are a priority for ASI’s standards and partnerships work this year.

The proposal on green claims aims to:

• avoid the proliferation of schemes and reinforce trust in existing ones
• make green claims reliable, comparable and verifiable across the EU
• protect consumers from greenwashing
• contribute to creating a circular and green EU economy by enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions
• help establish a level playing field when it comes to the environmental performance of products and services.

If adopted, it is likely to limit the environmental claims that businesses can make in the EU/EEA but will ensure that green claims are credible and trustworthy. Once adopted, the Directive must be implemented in national legislation in EU Member States and will be responsible for setting up verification and enforcement processes.

ASI’s work relevant to the Green Claims Directive includes:

• ASI actively participates in the ISEAL Alliance EU Claim Coordination Group which is a space for ISEAL Members to update each other and plan joint action around emerging legislative initiatives at the EU level around greenwashing.
• ASI supports the letter that ISEAL published in February 2023 regarding the Green Claims Directive: https://www.isealalliance.org/sustainability-news/ensuring-reliable-sustainability-claims-eu-consumers-open-letter-european

ASI will continue to monitor the developments of the EU Green Claims Directive and communicate more on this topic through the ASI newsletter in the future.

ASI hosted a webinar on the ASI Claims Guide on 9 May, and the recording will be made available shortly on the 45 Minutes on recorded sessions page of the ASI website.

For any ASI Claims-related questions, please contact ASI Assurance and Accreditation Manager, Vicky Tran.

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