As DGP reminds, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection is already actively fighting the dishonest practices of companies in this area. In July, UOKiK began proceedings against such entities as Allegro, DPD, InPost and DHL. The allegations relate to misleading customers as to the real impact of their elections on the environment. Although the concept of greenwashing has not yet been legally defined, the office decided that some campaigns were only seemingly ecological.
As we read in DGP, in the case of Allegro it is about planting trees, where for every 10 shipments received as part of the Allegro One service, the company was to plant one tree. UOKiK indicates, however, that these trees were planted earlier, and the company only symbolically attributed them to consumers – which means that their purchasing choices did not have a direct influence on real plantings. Allegro defends itself, claiming that planning planting requires earlier decisions, and 3 million financed seedlings are evidence of real actions, not a “ecościem”.
Read also: Allegro, InPost, DHL and DPD with charges from UOKiK. It's about “greenwashing”
New Directive on the horizon
Experts point out that the lack of consistent regulations raises doubts. Aleksandra Majda from ESG Impact Network notices in an interview with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna that companies may have difficulty assessing whether their green declarations are precise enough. Work is currently underway to amend the Act on counteracting unfair market practices and the Act on consumer rights, which are to introduce specific bans in this area. The project has already been included in the list of legislative work, which – as UOKiK points out – will give the office more effective tools to fight with false environmental declarations.
The new regulations are to implement the EU Directive 2024/825, strengthening the position of consumers in the context of ecological transformation. Meanwhile – as DGP informs – another legislative initiative appeared on the horizon: Green Claims Directive. It is to determine the clear principles of formulating environmental declarations by companies, and also require their earlier verification by independent auditors. Although this may mean higher costs for entrepreneurs, according to non -governmental organizations, it will be a favorable solution.
As the newspaper notes, the situation around this directive became uncertain after the European Commission announced the intention to withdraw the legislative application. This caused the confusion at EU level – the planned negotiations between the EU Council and the European Parliament were canceled.
Therefore – as we read in DGP – the Clientearth Foundation, ESG Impact Network and other NGOs want to emphasize in their letter to the Polish authorities that the lack of uniform regulations leads to regulatory chaos and high legal advisory costs for companies. In their opinion, EU regulations could help organize the situation and ensure fair competition. According to the authors of the letter, the Green Claims Directive was to be a detailed complement to the provisions currently implemented at the national level – and would be a valuable tool in the fight against Ekościema.
