Climate neutral flying. A shirt made of ‘organic cotton’. Sounds great, but is it right? The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) now wants to investigate whether this is the case.
The quality marks have been flying around your ears in recent years: many companies use sustainability as a means to sell their product. But their sustainability claims are by no means always well-founded. “We are actually going to see if they are not misleading consumers,” says Edwin van Houten of ACM.
42 percent is incorrect
Last year, research showed that 42 percent of environmental claims are incorrect. Rob van Tilburg, of Nature & Environment, speaks about “vague claims”. “For example: our product is sustainable. Or it is recyclable. Or made from natural raw materials. That suggests that it is sustainable, but a product that is made from natural raw materials can best be made with pesticides.”
Van Houten cites a carton of milk as an example, which states that “it is now produced with 30% less CO2 emissions”. “If you then continue to ask questions, it turns out to be about the packaging.”
Act against deception
Van Tilburg of Natuur & Milieu believes that action should be taken if it turns out that these claims are not valid. “Also so that companies that do make good claims are not the victims of these bad examples.”
According to Van Houten of ACM, it is important for the future of sustainability that the claims are correct. “I’m afraid that otherwise consumers will no longer take those claims seriously. And if they don’t take those claims seriously, it will have no added value and the world will not get better.”
From mid-June, ACM will publish the results of their campaign. Companies that mislead consumers run a serious risk: fines of up to 900,000 euros, or a percentage of their turnover.
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