Currently, EU requirements mandate the substantiation of any claims about a product or service, including environmental claims. However, the existing rules are neither specific nor strict enough, allowing companies to make vague or misleading claims without consequences. Directive 2024/825 aims to establish standards, and guidelines to help companies comply with the rules and for authorities to enforce them effectively.
In March 2023, the European Commission proposed Directive 2024/825, which entered into force on March 26, 2024, and must be implemented in national regulation by March 27, 2026.
This directive amends Directive 2005/29/EC (unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices) and Directive 2011/83/EU (consumers rights), focusing on empowering consumers for the green transition by enhancing protection against unfair practices and providing better information.
It 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.
The directive is based on three primary goals:
Several rules will ensure that claims are clear and defined by the same standards. Claims or labels using scoring of the product's overall environmental impact will no longer be permitted unless set in EU rules. Comparisons with other products must be based on equivalent information and data.
The key criteria include:
These criteria aim to ensure that consumers have access to clear and reliable information, adhering to harmonized standards.
Directive (EU) 2024/825 explicitly forbids certain misleading claims on cosmetic artworks, such as:
This list is not exhaustive but provides a clear picture of what is acceptable and what is not in terms of environmental branding.
Finally, the certification scheme means a third-party verification scheme that certifies that a product, process or business complies with certain requirements, that allows for the use of a corresponding sustainability label, and the terms of which, including its requirements, are publicly available and meet the following criteria:
The directive serves as a safety net for all sectors where environmental claims or labels are unregulated at the EU level. It does not intend to alter existing or upcoming sector-specific regulations. Instead, existing communication and evaluation standards in other Union legislations will take precedence. Notably, some specificities included in the initial proposal were omitted in the final directive, placing more emphasis on member states' responsibilities to enforce the directive within their national legal frameworks.
Each EU member state is responsible for incorporating the directive into their local laws. National authorities are tasked with enforcing the new criteria and ensuring compliance. This decentralized approach requires member states to adapt the directive's requirements to their specific regulatory contexts, ensuring that businesses across the EU adhere to a consistent standard.
While the directive itself does not prescribe specific penalties for non-compliance, it allows member states the flexibility to establish appropriate enforcement measures within their jurisdictions. This may include legal actions or other measures deemed necessary by national authorities to ensure that companies adhere to the directive's standards. The removal of explicit penalties in the final directive highlights the importance of local enforcement and the role of national laws in ensuring compliance.
The collaborative efforts of institutions such as the European Commission are pivotal in advancing the EU's green directives. Frameworks such as the European Green Deal, ESPR, and Directive (EU) 2024/825 collectively drive the cosmetics industry towards greater environmental accountability and transparency.
Adhering to these directives helps mitigate environmental impact while ensuring consumer trust through rigorous verification of environmental claims, benefiting both the environment and the credibility of the cosmetics sector. It will also help to achieve the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050, as outlined in the European Climate Law.
Contact our experts now, they'll be happy to help you!
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Currently, EU requirements mandate the substantiation of any claims about a product or service, including environmental claims. However, the existing rules are neither specific nor strict enough, allowing companies to make vague or misleading claims without consequences. Directive 2024/825 aims to establish standards, and guidelines to help companies comply with the rules and for authorities to enforce them effectively.
In March 2023, the European Commission proposed Directive 2024/825, which entered into force on March 26, 2024, and must be implemented in national regulation by March 27, 2026.
This directive amends Directive 2005/29/EC (unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices) and Directive 2011/83/EU (consumers rights), focusing on empowering consumers for the green transition by enhancing protection against unfair practices and providing better information.
It 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.
The directive is based on three primary goals:
Several rules will ensure that claims are clear and defined by the same standards. Claims or labels using scoring of the product's overall environmental impact will no longer be permitted unless set in EU rules. Comparisons with other products must be based on equivalent information and data.
The key criteria include:
These criteria aim to ensure that consumers have access to clear and reliable information, adhering to harmonized standards.
Directive (EU) 2024/825 explicitly forbids certain misleading claims on cosmetic artworks, such as:
This list is not exhaustive but provides a clear picture of what is acceptable and what is not in terms of environmental branding.
Finally, the certification scheme means a third-party verification scheme that certifies that a product, process or business complies with certain requirements, that allows for the use of a corresponding sustainability label, and the terms of which, including its requirements, are publicly available and meet the following criteria:
The directive serves as a safety net for all sectors where environmental claims or labels are unregulated at the EU level. It does not intend to alter existing or upcoming sector-specific regulations. Instead, existing communication and evaluation standards in other Union legislations will take precedence. Notably, some specificities included in the initial proposal were omitted in the final directive, placing more emphasis on member states' responsibilities to enforce the directive within their national legal frameworks.
Each EU member state is responsible for incorporating the directive into their local laws. National authorities are tasked with enforcing the new criteria and ensuring compliance. This decentralized approach requires member states to adapt the directive's requirements to their specific regulatory contexts, ensuring that businesses across the EU adhere to a consistent standard.
While the directive itself does not prescribe specific penalties for non-compliance, it allows member states the flexibility to establish appropriate enforcement measures within their jurisdictions. This may include legal actions or other measures deemed necessary by national authorities to ensure that companies adhere to the directive's standards. The removal of explicit penalties in the final directive highlights the importance of local enforcement and the role of national laws in ensuring compliance.
The collaborative efforts of institutions such as the European Commission are pivotal in advancing the EU's green directives. Frameworks such as the European Green Deal, ESPR, and Directive (EU) 2024/825 collectively drive the cosmetics industry towards greater environmental accountability and transparency.
Adhering to these directives helps mitigate environmental impact while ensuring consumer trust through rigorous verification of environmental claims, benefiting both the environment and the credibility of the cosmetics sector. It will also help to achieve the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050, as outlined in the European Climate Law.
Contact our experts now, they'll be happy to help you!
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