Climate, Energy and Environment Committee discussed how to make Green Claims workable for SMEs

SMEunited supports addressing a feasible substantiation of green claims and creating harmonised legal framework. However, “a mandatory third-party verification for all is the wrong way and many SMEs will refrain from marketing their quality products as green as a result”, stated our Policy Vice-President Josef Herk during a discussion with Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, Director in charge of Circular Economy in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment. SMEunited therefore calls for a verification process that is as simple as possible for SMEs.

The European Commission assured our members that the verification costs will remain proportionate and vary depending on the complexity of the claim. What is more, the European Commission clearly expressed that SMEs will be consulted by relevant expert groups to make sure that our voices are heard. Still, SMEunited remains sceptically about the workability of the verification process and calls on the co-legislators to ease the burden on SMEs.

Other topics of the committee session included the state of play of the working groups on climate change adaptation and chemicals and a discussion on our demands for the upcoming EU elections, such as more tools for SMEs in sustainability reporting, a robust and feasible climate policy, the consultation of SME organisations, climate and water resilience, an enabling energy policy framework, and empowering SMEs in circular business models. What is more, members exchanged on their priorities for the implementation of Green Deal legislation and an enabling framework.