iSUD and Circular Srl, in light of their shared commitment to informing, educating, and strengthening environmental and social awareness through transparent, responsible, and measurable practices, express concern over the withdrawal of the Green Claims Directive. This directive aimed to uniformly regulate environmental claims made by companies by introducing common and transparent rules. Its goal was to ensure that all environmental claims would be subject to independent verification, thereby preventing the risk of greenwashing. A harmonized regulatory framework would have helped both consumers and investors to identify genuine sustainable practices and distinguish them from mere marketing operations. The decision was made in recent days by the European Commission, following the opposition of a blocking minority led by Italy and Germany, and supported by other Member States.
This represents a step backward in consumer protection and in the promotion of clear, verifiable environmental communication based on objective data. The European regulatory framework is losing a crucial element that was meant to complement the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (2024/825). The Green Claims Directive, presented alongside it in 2023, was a key milestone in the fight against greenwashing—an issue that poses a serious obstacle to achieving the goals the European Union has long been striving for, placing environmental protection and future generations at the heart of its policies. As a result, consumers will continue to be exposed to misleading environmental messages, despite the new safeguards introduced by Directive 2024/825. Furthermore, from a geopolitical perspective, the European Union risks weakening its regulatory leadership on sustainability compared to countries that are, instead, moving forward with greater transparency in environmental practices and traceability in commercial operations.
Pioneering companies with an ecological conscience, which have invested in sustainability to date, may find themselves at a disadvantage compared to less virtuous actors who are more skilled in ambiguous environmental communication. As sustainability professionals with years of experience, we believe that abandoning this measure is not only a setback on the regulatory front, but also a missed opportunity to strengthen trust in the green transition. Coherence between regulation, investment, and innovation is essential to guide Europe toward goals that improve the conditions of our production systems and our lives. We hope that the European debate will soon reopen the door to more ambitious and courageous standards in environmental communication. The credibility of the Green Deal—and the future of the European circular economy—also depends on this.
iSUD and Circular will continue their commitment alongside companies that are determined to pursue genuine and measurable sustainability. On one hand, iSUD will carry on its work in raising awareness and providing information; on the other, Circular Srl will continue to work with professionalism and expertise alongside businesses engaged in concrete sustainability pathways.
We will continue to support organizations that seek to evolve with consistency, promoting a more conscious and strategic approach—also through the adoption of voluntary verification and reporting schemes. This is not only a duty toward the market, but above all, a responsibility toward people and the planet.
