The German Printing and Media Industries Federation (BVDM) firmly rejects the pre-certification procedure for environmental claims proposed in the draft Green Claims Directive. The BVDM is calling for a comprehensive evaluation of the existing regulations before further new bureaucratic requirements are introduced. Additional certification obligations would lead to considerable costs and legal uncertainties, especially for small and medium-sized companies.
The European Parliament is currently debating the EU Commission’s proposed directive on environmental claims. The German Printing and Media Industries Federation has taken this as an opportunity to reiterate its position in a joint letter with other associations (Federation of German Industries, Federation of German Energy and Water Industries, German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, DDV German Dialogue Marketing Association, German Savings Banks and Giro Association, GDV General Association of Insurers, ICC Germany, Verband der Privaten Bausparkassen, Pharma Deutschland, Zentrale zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs, Zentralverband der deutschen Werbewirtschaft) to appeal to MEPs for a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of existing regulations before additional bureaucratic requirements are adopted.
‘The ecological transition and the promotion of truthful environmental claims are important goals that we in the printing industry also support,’ emphasises Kirsten Hommelhoff, Managing Director of the BVDM. ‘With the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Ecological Transition, extensive measures have already been adopted to ensure that environmental claims are independently verified and made transparent for consumers. This regulation was adopted in March 2024 and still needs to be transposed into German law. An additional, mandatory pre-certification procedure is neither necessary nor sensible.’ In addition, the proposed directive would lead to legal uncertainty: even if a company has received a certificate of conformity, the directive stipulates that national authorities or courts could assess environmental claims differently.
BVDM
The Bundesverband Druck und Medien e. V. (bvdm) is the umbrella organisation of the German printing industry. As an employers’ organisation, political business association and technical trade association, it represents the positions and objectives of the printing industry vis-à-vis politicians, administration, trade unions and the supplier industry. The bvdm is supported by eight regional associations. Internationally, it is organised through its membership of Intergraf and FESPA. The printing industry currently comprises around 6,500 predominantly small and medium-sized companies with more than 106,000 employees subject to social security contributions.
