The votes are in. The EU has decided to outlaw the use of misleading environmental claims. Terms such as environmentally friendly’, ‘natural’, ‘biodegradable’, ‘eco’, and ‘climate neutral’ will be banned from 2026 unless used alongside quantifiable evidence. This is big news. Incidences of greenwashing increased 35% between 2022 and 2023, according to a report from RepRisk, with a 70% increase seen in the financial services and banking sectors. As ever, the EU is ahead of the curve, cracking down on language that implies planting trees in the rainforest negates the environmental and social impacts of production. As Anna Cavazzini, the Green MEP and chair of the Committee of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection said, “deception is now a thing of the past.” We thank the European Commission for being brave enough to fight it.