The French AGEC law, the European Green Deal… the environmental regulations that are being put in place are drawing new contours for the use of claims. Biodegradable, Recyclable, Environmentally friendly… what characteristics can still be claimed in this context? During the Regulatory Meeting organised by Cosmed on 25 March 2021, Stéphanie Garrel, Regulatory Affairs Officer of the association of SMEs in the cosmetics industry, gave an update.
An environmental claim is an expression that suggests or gives the impression that a product or service is environmentally friendly or less harmful to the environment than competing goods or services.
Responsible, Ecodesigned, Ecological, Sustainable, Biodegradable, Renewable, Recyclable, Compostable, Organic, Eco, Free… Today, these types of claims are increasingly present on cosmetic product labels.
And their fields of application are also very broad since they can involve the composition of the product or its packaging, their manufacture, the way they are disposed of, the reduction of the energy necessary for their elaboration, the pollution generated by their use…
The regulations governing them apply to all media: product packaging, all types of media (Internet, press, television, etc.), trademarks, pictograms, logos, etc.
The regulation today
Environmental claims must of course first comply with the rules that involve all cosmetic claims, starting with Regulation 655/2013 which sets out the six Common Criteria that must be met in order to use them.
They are also covered by two European Directives: Directive 2005/29 on unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices and Directive 2006/114 on misleading and comparative advertising.
Their use is also governed by several Guides and Recommendations.
Whether they are French, European or international, these …
