The German federal government has approved a draft law introducing stricter regulations for environmental claims in advertising The Federal Ministry of Justice announced the decision on Wednesday
The initiative aims to better protect consumers from misleading environmental statements and increase transparency Terms such as “climate-friendly” or “biodegradable” will in the future only be permissible if they can be substantiated with evidence
The draft law implements two EU directives into German law Beyond environmental claims, it also seeks to prohibit manipulative design practices within financial service contracts Specifically, it will be unlawful to visually emphasize options that are advantageous to the company Lengthy click sequences that make it difficult for consumers to reach a beneficial decision will also be prohibited
“Terms like ‘environmentally friendly’ ‘climate neutral’ ‘biodegradable’ sound good at first glance” explained Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig “All too often, however, it remains unclear what exactly is meant by these terms – and whether the statement is actually true We want to change that: anyone who uses environmental claims in advertising must be able to prove their assertions”