Dublin MEP Ciarán Cuffe says consumers will have the “Right to Repair” and be more protected from greenwashing claims under a new EU law called the Directive on Empowering Consumers in the Green Transition. MEPs voted by a strong majority in favour of this law today in Strasbourg, approving a mandatory lifetime labelling for all goods, services, and content and bans on green claims based on carbon or plastic offsetting and features that limit how long products can last, a practice known as ‘premature obsolescence’.

MEP Cuffe said:

“Today is a good day for consumers, and for the planet. The new labelling requirements that we voted for today will ensure manufacturers  produce higher quality products that last longer, and can be more easily repaired. A lot of people are doing their bit for the planet by shopping for more sustainable options, and this new law will equip them with the tools they need to make the right choice. Poor quality goods that break easily and can’t be repaired have been flooding the market in recent years, and it’s not good enough. We need to make more goods that last, for the sake of people’s pockets and the environment.”

He continued:

“We’re also clamping down on unsubstantiated green claims so companies will no longer be able to mislead customers in this way.  This legal proposal will ban claims that are based on carbon or plastic offsetting while another upcoming law, the long-delayed Green Claims Directive, has even stronger potential to drastically reduce the amount of unsubstantiated and misleading environmental claims and labels. I hope it will introduce a strict ban on climate neutrality claims for products that are based on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions because these claims, by their very definition, are misleading shoppers.”

The Empowering Consumers in the Green Transition Directive will apply to all goods, services, and content sold in the EU. Under the position approved by the European Parliament, the law will introduce a mandatory lifetime label for products, including for durability and repair. It will ban green claims based on carbon or plastic offsetting, and it will ban features that limit the durability of products. The display of reparability scoring will be mandatory, and marketing of products that do not include an indication of reparability will be banned. Consumers must also be informed if a product cannot be repaired, or if spare parts are in limited supply. For electronic devices, consumers must have access to adequate information about the durability and reparability of these products before they are purchased.

Final negotiations on the Empowering Consumers in the Green Transition Directive are expected to open between the European Parliament and the EU governments in the coming weeks.