1-  The Environmental Claims for Packaging Committee is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Can you tell us about its missions, how it works and who its members are?

– Its missions :

• draft and disseminate best practices and editorial recommendations concerning environmental claims;
• keep a constant watch on environmental claims that may be found on the market;
• collect and archive all environmental claims (an « allegatiothèque » available on request from the CNE).

– Its Members:

It is made up of experts on the subject, and its composition mirrors that of the CNE Board of Directors.

– How it works: it meets 3 times a year.

• It proposes recommendations to marketers;
• It calls on Right Packaging players to take action in the event of breaches of the rules and deontology on the subject.

2- Last June, you published a revised editorial guide on environmental claims. Can you give us a brief outline?

All environmental claims must comply with current regulations; the Agec and Climate and Resilience laws, as well as the decree on consumer information of April 2022, now require us to be strict on this subject.

For the record, the Grenelle law had already laid the foundations for sincere, objective and complete environmental information: that was in 2009!

There are also various recommendations from organizations such as Ademe, Citeo, ARPP, UDM and others. These recommendations, like those of the CNE, are part of the panorama of “soft law” that should be applied to avoid any risk of greenwashing or damage to a company’s image.

3-  In addition to the notices you produce for marketers, you also write to “offenders” to get them to change their environmental claims. What feedback do you get from this?

As a preamble, the CNE does not have a “policing” role; it can only advise and alert players.

Over the past ten years, more than 50 letters have been sent to warn of non-compliant environmental claims (in line with the rules and ethics), and more than 60% of our letters have been taken into account by corrective action on the part of marketers. Admittedly, there’s still a long way to go, but the CNE supports its committee on a daily basis, and players are working towards sincere, verifiable communication.

4-  What does the committee plan to do in the future?

• Given current regulatory developments, notably Europe’s forthcoming Green Claims Directive, it’s a safe bet that the CNE guide will be revised again in 2024.
• The CNE’s role as a support body for detailed opinions remains the driving force behind its activities.
• New expressions are appearing on the market for packaged products, and will undoubtedly be used as environmental claims. The committee will ensure its vigilance role on these by documenting them and providing its opinions and recommendations.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the committee for their unfailing commitment.