Nicosia, Cyprus. Parliament on Tuesday began discussing a government bill intended to curb greenwashing, the practice of presenting commercial products as environmentally friendly when they are not. The government is seeking to pass the legislation quickly to harmonise Cypriot law with a relevant European Union directive.
Proposed legal changes
An official from the commerce ministry’s Consumer Protection Service said the proposed legislation would place the burden of proof on vendors. Vendors, rather than producers, would be liable for making false or misleading representations that a product is eco-friendly.
Scope of environmental claims
Under the proposed rules, environmental claims could not be generic or abstract. Such claims would need to relate to a product’s entire life cycle, from manufacturing through to marketing.
Greenwashing practices
Greenwashing is a deceptive marketing practice in which a company, product or investment is presented as environmentally friendly or sustainable when it is not. Companies use several strategies to create a false eco-friendly image, including vague buzzwords such as undefined terms like “eco-friendly”, “natural” or “green” without scientific backing or third-party certification.
European Union directive
The EU’s main anti-greenwashing legislation, Directive 2024/825, also known as the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition or Greenwashing Directive, bans vague, unverified and misleading environmental claims. It requires companies to substantiate all sustainability claims with concrete, independent evidence before using them in marketing.
