Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted 544-18 to approve the adoption of new proposed rules requiring companies to substantiate and verify their environmental claims and labels, aimed at protecting consumers from greenwashing.

The Commission’s proposals set out minimum requirements for businesses to substantiate, communicate and verify their green claims. According to the proposals, companies will be required to ensure the reliability of their voluntary environmental claims, which will need to be independently verified and proven, while companies will be also be required to identify environmental impacts relevant to their products, and to identify any possible trade-offs.