Skip to content
OPINION (COM(2022)143 – C90128/2022 – 2022/0092(COD))

On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU as regards empowering consumers for the green transition through better protection against unfair practices and better information

ENVI-AD-736396

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety · Rapporteur: Edina Tóth

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 26 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety proposes amendments to a Commission proposal amending the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC and the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU to empower consumers for the green transition. The amendments ban carbon neutral claims and labels, strengthen rules on future environmental performance claims, and prohibit planned obsolescence and practices that limit product durability. They introduce new information requirements on durability, reparability and software updates, and extend the transitional period from 24 to 36 months. They also require the Commission to adopt delegated acts setting minimum requirements for sustainability labels and information tools.

Committee position. The committee proposes amendments to strengthen the Commission proposal by banning carbon neutral claims, prohibiting planned obsolescence, extending the transitional period to 36 months, and introducing requirements for sustainability labels and reparability scores.

Key points

  1. The rapporteur proposes banning carbon neutral claims and labels because they are misleading and based on unregulated offsetting projects.
  2. The rapporteur proposes strengthening requirements on claims related to future environmental performance to prevent consumers from being misled.
  3. The rapporteur proposes prolonging the transitional period from 24 to 36 months to allow for certification of labels.
  4. The rapporteur proposes including provisions on reparability scoring systems in this proposal.
  5. Amendment 1 adds that environmental claims must be truthful, clear and understandable, and introduces a transparent EU-wide consumer information system on durability and reparability.
  6. Amendment 3 adds environmental or social impact through the whole value chain, durability, reparability, upgradability, reusability, recyclability, single-use nature and the right to return to the producer to the list of main product characteristics.
  7. Amendment 6 requires future environmental performance claims to be supported by clear, objective, science-based, verifiable and realistic commitments, a funded implementation plan, and independent monitoring.
  8. Amendment 8 prohibits displaying sustainability labels not pre-approved by a Union body or national authority and not based on an accredited certification scheme, and empowers the Commission to adopt delegated acts on minimum requirements.
  9. Amendment 12 prohibits generic environmental claims without recognised excellent environmental performance, listing examples such as 'sustainable', 'carbon neutral' and 'climate neutral'.
  10. Amendment 14 prohibits planned obsolescence and planned failure of products.
  11. Amendment 15 prohibits bundling security updates with other types of updates and requires consumers to be informed whether an update is necessary to keep the product in conformity.
  12. Amendment 20 requires pre-contractual information on durability, reparability and availability of updates, including separate information on security and functionality updates.

Who is affected

  • Traders and manufacturers must comply with new prohibitions on unfair commercial practices and information requirements.
  • Consumers will receive better information on durability, reparability and software updates.
  • Microbusinesses and small and medium enterprises should be encouraged through accessible certification schemes and support.
  • National authorities must define label scope, enforce rules and may need increased resources.
  • The second-hand market benefits from guarantees attached to goods, not sellers.

Figures and deadlines

  • Transitional period of 24 months should be prolonged to 36 months.
  • Commission shall adopt delegated acts by 12 months from adoption to establish minimum requirements for sustainability labels.
  • Delegated acts power conferred for a period of six years from one month after entry into force.
  • Commission shall submit a report on the application of the Directive by 5 years from adoption.
  • Commercial guarantee of durability covers the entire good and has a duration of more than two years.