Denmark authorities issue greenwashing guidelines

COPENHAGEN – The Danish authorities have issued guidelines warning businesses that any sustainability claims they make must be based on a lifecycle analysis data. The move follows similar crackdowns on greenwashing by the authorities in England and the Netherlands, with all three nations set to clamp down on unsubstantiated environmental claims in 2022.

In a business guide to environmental claims for companies selling into Denmark, the Danish Consumer Ombudsman states that health, social and ethical issues must be considered when making sustainability claims and – tellingly – acknowledges that it is therefore, “very difficult to call a product … sustainable without being misleading.”