How eco-friendly is that product? Four ways to spot 'greenwashing'

Bioplastics, compostable waste and carbon neutral products all sound great initially but EU research found that more than half of the green claims it studied were vague, misleading, or unfounded

The EU intends to put forward measures to tackle the practice of 'greenwashing'

In anticipation of combating misleading climate claims on packaging and in advertisements, the European Union has identified a handful of common words and phrases used by companies to pitch their products as environmentally friendly — even when they aren’t.

Anyone who has tried to buy the least-worst version of a consumer product will recognise the struggle to identify it amid a flurry of vague and unverifiable claims — a marketing disconnect known as 'greenwashing'.