EU moves to ban misleading ads, make third-party repairs compulsory – Times of India

The European Parliament has drafted new legislation that aims to improve product labelling in the EU and limit misleading product characteristics, environmental claims and repairability restrictions. The Parliament’s approved negotiating mandate foresees banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” if these do not come with detailed evidence. The proposed directive is part of the circular economy package, along with the eco-design regulation, construction products regulation and an own-initiative report on the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles.
It further aims to ban environmental claims that are based solely on carbon offsetting schemes. Other misleading practices such as making claims about the whole product if the claim is true only for one part of it, or saying that a product will last a certain amount of time or can be used at a certain level of intensity if that is not true, will also be forbidden
The legislation draft also aims for clear labelling for the cost of product repairs and any potential repair restrictions by manufacturers. To simplify product information, MEPs envision allowing only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities to be used.
Aims to reduce early obsolescence of gadgets
To make products last longer, Parliament wants to ban the introduction of design features that limit a product’s life or lead to goods malfunctioning prematurely. Additionally, companies should not be allowed to limit a product’s functionality when it is used with consumables, spare parts or accessories (for example chargers or ink cartridges) made by other companies.

To help people choose more lasting and repairable goods, buyers would have to be informed of any repair restrictions before making a purchase. Additionally, MEPs propose a new guarantee label indicating not only the length of the legally required guarantee but also the length of any possible guarantee extensions offered by producers. This would help highlight quality goods and motivate companies to focus more on durability.