NATRUE Joins Call for a Clear Green Claims Directive

NATRUE, together with 17 other industry associations, urges EU policymakers not to rush the adoption of the Green Claims Directive. As it stands, the proposed framework remains unclear, overly complex, impractical, and insufficiently harmonised. Without clear, fully harmonised, and workable rules for all stakeholders, the Directive risks discouraging companies from communicating legitimate sustainability efforts, while diverting critical financial and human resources away from innovation and towards burdensome compliance.

Ensuring that consumers receive transparent and trustworthy sustainability information is essential to building trust, driving innovation, and encouraging investment in greener practices. Our associations remain firmly committed to promoting research and innovation aimed at improving the sustainability of products and production processes. Communicating these achievements in a clear and credible way is key to empowering consumers and enabling businesses to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global market.

Despite ongoing discussions to streamline the proposal and reduce administrative burden, the framework still presents major concerns, notably:

Disproportionate and unclear substantiation and verification requirements that risk increasing costs and complexity, ultimately discouraging investments and communication to consumers.
Lack of a clear, workable and predictable simplified procedure which immediately identifies eligible claims, avoiding that such claims are placed on an unequal footing compared to others. Impractical transition periods leading to waste generation and additional burdens.
Overlaps with other EU legislation (information, chemicals, packaging, reporting, etc.).

The signatory associations call on EU policymakers to take these concerns seriously. If the above issues are not promptly addressed, we strongly urge policymakers not to finalise a deal at any cost. Quality must be prioritised over speed. All options to simplify, clarify, and streamline the Green Claims Directive should be fully explored to ensure a framework that truly supports sustainable innovation and empowers both consumers and businesses across Europe.

NATRUE remains committed to working with policymakers to establish a transparent, predictable, and practical Green Claims Directive. We stand ready to share our expertise and collaborate on solutions that empower both businesses and consumers in the green transition.

The letter can be read in full here.
All NATRUE contributions are available here.