AmCham Sustainability Forum: Greenwashing and the EU’s Green Claims Directive

In an era of heightened environmental consciousness, consumers and stakeholders demand authenticity and transparency in sustainability claims. As a result of this, the EU is continuing to ramp up its greenwashing regulations, with the Green Claims Directive being next in line. Navigating the web of regulations poses significant hurdles for companies in the EU. For many companies, mitigation of greenwashing risk is a challenge that requires changes on many levels, such as ESG reporting, internal policies, procedures, and marketing communication.

This event, hosted by Bech Bruun, shed light on what to expect from the Green Claims Directive. We heard from Claus Barrett Christiansen, Partner at Bech Bruun, Sophia Kelley Rini, Senior Communications and Stakeholder Manager and Charlotte Fornø, Head of Competition,Marketing & ESG at at Velux, and Peter Holm, Legal Sustainability Manager at Bestseller. They shared their ideas and experience gained actively dealing with the Green Claims Directive and the mitigation of greenwashing risks.

While the directive is complex, the speakers agreed that it is important to keep it simple within the organization. A few takeaways:

• It is key to have buy in from the top management, and then embed it within the whole organization
• Bring key cross departmental players into a working group (Sustainability team, product, marketing, legal, product technical specialists for example) to talk about the issues and come with solutions
• Fewer and more precise claims are a goal toward ensuring compliance – and building trust with your partners and customers

Thanks to our host, our expert speakers, and our engaged participants!