According to an international survey conducted by BEUC (the European Consumer Organisation), environmental claims are poorly perceived by consumers, who are unable to distinguish between companies’ genuine commitments and greenwashing. BEUC is calling on Europe to tighten the rules.
The BEUC survey was carried out in partnership with ICRT (International Consumer Reasearch & Testing) and 16 national consumer organisations in 16 European and non-European countries. In each of these countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United States), a sample of 1,000 consumers representative of the population was interviewed.
According to BEUC, the survey shows that most consumers want to take action to reduce their ecological footprint and are looking for reliable information. But they end up frustrated by the confusing and endless torrent of “green” labels and claims.
The results of the survey
According to his findings:
• Close to half of the respondents (48%) prefer buying products bearing an environmental label than products without one
• One in three respondents (34%) say they have noticed greenwashing at least once over the past 12 months. Only a mere 3% say they would be able to always distinguish false green claims
• Three out of four respondents believe green claims and labels should only be authorised if pre-approved or verified and almost 70% say they trust public authorities and third-party organisations to fulfil that role
• …
