Joint Industry Statement to develop a clear framework under the Green Claims Directive

APPLiA co-signed a joint industry statement alongside 13 other industry associations, calling on the Council of the European Union for a thorough evaluation of potential approaches within the Green Claims Directive. 

This collaborative effort seeks the adoption of a clear, agile, and practical framework that simplifies procedures and reduces the burden for companies while advancing sustainability goals. Informing consumers of a business's or product's sustainability profile is a considerable incentive for traders to pursue more sustainable solutions. It is a catalyst for driving innovation and investments, fostering the industry’s competitiveness in sustainability. We therefore support the goal of the Green Claims Directive, which will be key in setting clear rules for environmental claims. However, the proposed verification and certification process raises concerns among the industry, as they risk hampering the EU internal market, increasing the burden and costs for traders consequently delaying the provision of the information to the consumer, ultimately going against the objectives of fostering the competitiveness of the European industry in the green transition.

We, therefore, call for the immediate application of the simplified procedure (including simplified substantiation requirements) for those claims that do not require a full lifecycle assessment (LCA), as is the case of claims related to environmental aspects, and for those claims whose assessment is based on methodologies that are widely recognised at the EU and international level (e.g., ISO and OECD standards, PEF, EU Ecolabel).

In alignment with this objective, APPLiA remains committed to driving sustainable innovation in the home appliance sector, supporting the need for a well-designed and implementable green claims framework that will enable the achievement of EU climate and environment objectives and empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.