EU Parliament has voted on a set of new laws to clamp down on businesses labelling their products as ‘carbon neutral’ where those claims are backed only by offsetting activities.

Businesses wishing to make carbon neutral statements on their products will now be facing a new set of regulatory barriers as the European Parliament this week voted in favour of new, stricter anti-greenwashing rules.

It was part of a vote last week on new European rules to improve product durability and combat greenwashing. The aim is to empower consumers, enabling them to make more ‘responsible’ and informed choices.

“This proposal aims to strengthen the fight against greenwashing by banning practices that mislead consumers on the actual sustainability of products,” said EU Justice Commissioner, Didier Reynolds at the EU Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg last week.

“By doing so, consumers can choose products that are generally better for the environment. This will encourage competition towards more environmentally sustainable products.”

Edie reports that the draft directive bans the use of generic environmental claims such as ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘natural’, ‘biodegradable’, or ‘eco’ if not supported by evidence. Practices such as making green claims about a whole product when only one part is sustainable will also be banned.

The latest proposal is to extend the ban to businesses making environmental claims based on carbon offsetting schemes, such as ‘CO2 neutral’ or ‘carbon neutral’, which are criticised for misleading consumers. The proposal was voted in plenary by an overwhelming majority of 544 votes in favour, 18 against, and 17 abstentions. This has now opened the way for EU member states to finalise the law.

The environmental group, Carbon Market Watch is now urging the EU Council and Commission to support the ban, stating that “if the other institutions do not shift their position during upcoming negotiations, it will undermine the EU’s ability to genuinely crackdown on this kind of greenwashing.”