Store shelves are full of sustainable products with a low carbon footprints and bio-based packaging. When you choose one of these products, you feel like a better person - and the planet is saved. Is this really the case or is it greenwashing? 

According to an inventory carried out by the European Commission in 2020, more than half of the environmental claims made in the EU were vague and unfounded. In particular, climate-related claims that the product is “carbon neutral”, “climate neutral” or “100 % CO2 compensated” were ambiguous or misleading. 

The directive on empowering consumers for the green transition (ECGT Directive), adopted in March 2024, banned greenwashing that misleads consumers. The new Commission is also expected to adopt the Green Claims Directive in the autumn. This directive will set strict requirements for environmental claims made by companies. 

The aim of these directives is to ensure that consumers receive reliable, comparable and verified information on the environmental impact of products to support responsible purchasing decisions. 

Strict requirements to tackle greenwashing 

Environmental claims made by companies must be based on measured data. Any information that could influence consumers' purchasing decisions cannot be ignored. For example, if reducing water consumption leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, this must be communicated. 

If an environmental claim states that the product has lower emissions than a competing product, this is a comparative claim. Care must be taken when making a comparative claim. When comparing the carbon footprints of two products, they must be calculated using the same standards, consistent system boundaries and equivalent input data.  

The texts, images or labels included in the environmental claim should not provide a false representation of the environmental benefits of the product. For example, the image of a green forest should not be used if it is not related to the product in any way. 

Environmental claims made by companies must be verified before they are published. This means that an independent third party must check the substantiation for the claims in advance. 

These requirements will apply to all companies except the micro-enterprises. 

Calculating the carbon footprint of a product as a basis for environmental claims 

The carbon footprint of a product should be calculated based on a reliable product-specific standard. The most recent of these standards is ISO 14067:2018, where a product refers both goods and services. This standard is based on life cycle assessment (LCA) standards, and the phases of the calculation are equal to those standards. First, the goal and scope are defined and system boundary is set. Then an inventory analysis is carried out, i.e. the input data are collected and validated. In the impact assessment phase, the actual emission calculation is carried out and finally in the interpretation phase, the results and uncertainties are presented. 

Once the carbon footprint of a product has been calculated based on standards and reliable emission factors, and the results and uncertainties of the calculation have been reported, a climate-related environmental claim can be made with confidence and without fear of greenwashing. 

By subscribing to OpenCO2.net platform you can easily and reliably calculate the carbon footprints of your products. The calculation is based on the ISO 14067:2018 standard and the up-to-date emission factors of our extensive emissions database. We also provide companies with customised carbon footprint calculators that take into account the entire supply chain and allow you to calculate the carbon footprints of your entire product portfolio in a cost-effective way. For example, we have implemented such a calculator for Muotek, a manufacturer of plastic products.