The business community is satisfied with the transition period of the greenwashing directive
The government proposes a six-month extension to some of the obligations of the consumer protection directive of the green transition until 27 March 2027. The Finnish Commerce Federation, the Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation, the Federation of Finnish Enterprises and the Confederation of Finnish Industries thank the government for the solution that meets the practical challenges of the directive and reduces the risk of product losses and unreasonable additional costs.
Today, the government has presented its proposal to the Parliament on a national solution, in connection with which it proposes a six-month transition period for the application of the key obligations of the directive. According to the proposal, sustainability labels and environmental claims must correspond to the content of the greenwashing directive as of 27 March 2027.
The objectives of the directive – enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions and improving access to information – are important and worthy of support. However, the schedule of the directive and the lack of interpretation guidelines have threatened to lead to large-scale product losses and significant additional costs for companies.
The six-month transition period would be excellent news for companies, and business and industry organisations thank the government for using common sense in the national implementation of the directive.
”We would like to thank the government for the active dialogue with the Commission and for the courage to produce a national proposal that deviates from the directive and defends the operating conditions of Finnish companies,” the organisations state.
The transition period will enable companies to better prepare for making changes to packaging and clearance sales, among other things. In addition to the proposed transition period and to support the preparation of companies, practical interpretation guidelines are also needed.
”It is very important to be able to prepare for the obligations of the directive without unnecessary costs of up to hundreds of millions of euros and, above all, without having to dispose of perfectly usable products,” the organisations emphasise.
For further information, please contact:
Tiina Vyyryläinen, Chief Policy Adviser, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 50 606 74, tiina.vyyrylainen@kauppa.fi
Satumaija Levón, Director, Sustainability and Data, Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation, tel. +358 40 752 8537, satumaija.levon@etl.fi
Sanna Lempiäinen, Senior Legal Advisor, Federation of Finnish Enterprises, tel. +358 40 9693 112, sanna.lempiainen@yrittajat.fi
Asko Metsola, Senior Legal Adviser, Confederation of Finnish Industries, tel. +358 40 840 3735, asko.metsola@ek.fi