17 Amendments of Ulrike MÜLLER related to 2023/0085(COD)
Amendment 94 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Climate-related claims have been shown to be particularly prone to being unclear and ambiguous and to mislead consumers. This relates notably to environmental claims, as addressed in thate products or entities are “climate neutral”, “carbon neutral”, “100% CO2 compensated”, or will be “net-zero” by a given year, or similar. Such statements are often based on “offsetting” of greenhouse gas emissions through “carbon credits” generated outside the company’s value chain, for example from forestry or renewable energy projects. The methodologies underpinning offsets vary widely and are not always transparent, accurate, or consistent. This leads to significant risks of overestimations and double counting of avoided or reduced emissions, due to a lack of additionality, permanence, ambitious and dynamic crediting baselines that depart from business as usuposal for a Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition. This relates notably to environmental claims that products or entities are “climate neutral”, and accurate accounting. These factors result in offset credits of low environmental integrity and credibility that mislead consumers when they are relied upon in explicit environmental claims. Offsetting can also deter traders from emissions reductions in their own operations and value chains“carbon neutral”, “100% CO2 compensated”, or will be “net-zero” by a given year, or similar. In order to adequately contribute to global climate change mitigation targets, traders should prioritise effective reductions of emissions across their own operations and value chains instead of relying on offsets. Any resulting residual emissions will vary by sector-specific pathway in line with the global climate targets and will have to be addressed through removals enhancements. When offsets are used nonetheless, i, and via the use of carbon removal technologies and carbon farming solutions. It is deemed appropriate to address climate- related claims, including claims on future environmental performance, based on offsets in a transparent manner. Therefore, the substantiation of climate- related claims should consider any greenhouse gas emissions offsets used by the traders separately from the trader’s or the product’s greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, this information should also specify the share of total emissions that are addressed through offsetting, whether these offsets relate to emission reductions or removals enhancement, and the methodology applied. The climate-related claims that include the use of offsets have to be substantiated by methodologies that ensure the integrity and correct accounting of these offsets and thus reflect coherently and transparently the resulting impact on the climateways contain certificate of carbon removal credits or carbon farming credits, proving in compliance with the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (2022/0394).
Amendment 126 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 32
Recital 32
(32) The Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/2279 contains guidance on how to measure the life cycle environmental performance of specific products or organisations and how to develop Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) and Organisation Environmental Footprint Sectorial Rules (OEFSRs) that allow comparison of products to a benchmark. Such category rules for specific products or traders can be used to support the substantiation of claims in line with the requirements of this Directive. Therefore, the Commission should be empowered to adopt delegated acts to establish product group or sector specific rules where this may have added value. However, in case the Product Environmental Footprint method does not yet cover an impact category, which is relevant for a product group, the adoption of PEFCR may take place only once these new relevant environmental impact categories have been added. For example, as regards marine fisheries, the PEFCR should for example reflect the fisheries- specific environmental impact categories, in particular the sustainability of the targeted stock. Concerning space, the PEFCR should reflect defence and space- specific environmental impact categories, including the orbital space use. As regards food and agricultural products, biodiversity and nature protection, as well as farming practices, including positive externalities of extensive farming and animal welfare, should, for example, also be integrated before the adoption of PEFCR could be considered. As regards textiles, the PEFCR should for example reflect the microplastics release, before the adoption of PEFCR could be considered. To further develop the current PEF methodology and address its limitations, the Commission shall regularly update the methodology in order to reflect scientific progress.
Amendment 198 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council95 , including other officially recognized ISO 14024 type 1 ecolabels. _________________ 95 Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU Ecolabel (OJ L 27, 30.1.2010, p. 1).
Amendment 261 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 15 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 15 a (new)
(15 a) ‘widely recognized scientific evidence’ means evidence based on an international or national standard or on a scientifically valid reasoning which has either been subject to peer review and publication or has received widespread acceptance within a relevant scientific community with proven expertise on the topic;
Amendment 383 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 3
Article 3 – paragraph 3
3. The requirements set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to traders that are microenterprises or small enterprises within the meaning of Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC110 unless they request the verification with the aim of receiving the certificate of conformity in accordance with Article 10. _________________ 110 Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium- sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36).
Amendment 432 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Article 4 – paragraph 3
3. The requirements laid down in this Article shall not apply to traders that are microenterprises or small enterprises within the meaning of Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC111 unless they request the verification with the aim of receiving the certificate of conformity in accordance with Article 10. _________________ 111 Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium- sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36).
Amendment 471 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 2 – introductory part
Article 5 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 2 – introductory part
That information shall include at least the following, while protecting sensitive information and business secrets:
Amendment 493 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 2 – point f
Article 5 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 2 – point f
(f) for climate-related explicit environmental claims that relying on greenhouse gas emission offsets, information to which extent they rely on offsets and whether these relate to emissions reductions or removals;carbon removals, the certificates of corresponding units according to Regulation 2022/0394.
Amendment 594 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 7
Article 8 – paragraph 7
7. The Commission shall publish and keep-up-to date a list of officially recognised environmental labels thatenvironmental labelling schemes that comply with this Directive and are allowed to be used on the Union market after [OP: Please insert the date = the date of transposition of this Directive] pursuant to paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.
Amendment 606 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Member States shall ensure that the information used for substantiation of explicit environmental claims is reviewed and updated by traders when there are circumstances that may affect the accuracy of a claim, and no later than 5 years from the date when the information referred to in Article 5(6) is provided. In the review, the trader shall revise the used underlying information to ensure that the requirements of Articles 3 and 4 are fully complied with. The trader shall not be obliged to review the substantiation nor reapply for certification in case of minor changes to the text of the claim without major impact on the nature of the claim.
Amendment 622 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 3
Article 10 – paragraph 3
3. The verification and certification requirements shall apply to traders that are microenterprises or small enterprises within the meaning of Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC only if they so request.
Amendment 637 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 4
Article 10 – paragraph 4
4. The verification shall be undertaken by a verifier fulfilling the requirements set out in Article 11, in accordance with the procedures referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, before the environmental claim is made public or the environmental label is displayed by a trader2.
Amendment 653 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 7
Article 10 – paragraph 7
7. The certificate of conformity shall be recognised by the competent authorities responsible for the application and enforcement of this Directive. Member States shall notify the list of certificates of conformity via the Internal Market Information System established by Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012. Once a certificate of conformity is delivered and notified, the labelling scheme or the environmental claim can be used within the Union.
Amendment 691 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Member States shall ensure that measures adopted in accordance with this Directive are without prejudice to the protection of business information (trade secrets) foreseen in Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016.
Amendment 775 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
Article 17 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
For the purposes of point (a), Member States shall ensure that when penalties are to be imposed in accordance with Article 21 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2394115 , the maximum amount of such fines being at least at 42 % of the trader’s annual turnover in the Member State or Member States concerned. _________________ 115 OJ L 345, 27.12.2017, p. 1.
Amendment 791 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 21 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 21 – paragraph 3 – point b
Amendment 803 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 21 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 21 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. As part of the evaluation referred to in paragraph 1, and in order to ensure a level playing field, the Commission shall carry out an impact assessment on the measures established for micro and small enterprises in Articles 4, 5, 10 and 12, and consider their review after this Directive is implemented.