Climate
Companies Can No Longer Casually Claim Products Are 'Green' or 'Sustainable'
Starting September 27, stricter regulations under the Dutch implementation of the EU directive will prohibit companies from making vague environmental claims such as 'green,' 'eco-friendly,' or 'sustainable' without independent verification. The ACM (Authority for Consumers and Markets) mandates that sustainability labels must be independently controlled and transparent, banning proprietary company seals lacking third-party oversight. Businesses must also provide clearer information on product durability, repairability, software updates, and spare parts availability. To prevent waste, regulators may allow leniency for stock already in stores if companies acted in good faith before the deadline. Non-compliant products may need to be recalled or destroyed, while violations can result in fines up to 900,000 euros or a percentage of annual turnover.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's