At Pickler, we prioritize transparency and integrity in sustainability claims, understanding the importance of preventing greenwashing. To ensure our platform is a trustworthy source of environmental information, we have chosen to comply with two key guidelines: the Dutch ACM guidelines and the EU Green Claims Directive. Both provide robust frameworks to guarantee that sustainability claims are clear, accurate, and backed by reliable data.
Pickler's compliance with ACM guidelines
Pickler is dedicated to delivering reliable, accurate, and fair insights into packaging impacts, with a strong focus on making clear, substantiated claims. To prevent greenwashing and uphold transparency, Pickler aligns with the anti-greenwash guidelines of the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) - the Netherlands’ regulatory body for fair competition and consumer protection.
Ths ACM has approved the communication and visuals in Pickler's impact reports, impact widget and comparisons. This approval means Pickler’s claims align with ACM guidelines, ensuring they are clear, accurate, and evidence-based—key to preventing misleading claims and supporting informed consumer choices.
Pickler aligns with ACM guidelines to ensure that sustainability claims are clear, accurate, and meaningful:
Truthfulness: Pickler’s claims are based on verifiable data, accurately reflecting environmental impacts and benefits.
Clarity and Specificity: We avoid vague terms like “eco-friendly” or “green” and provide specific, data-backed insights.
Relevance: Pickler highlights significant environmental impacts rather than minor, misleading benefits.
Comparability: Our comparisons are based on fair, clearly defined criteria, allowing for straightforward product assessment.
Substantiation: All claims in Pickler are supported by reliable data sources and methodologies.
By adhering to these principles, Pickler provides transparent and reliable information, enabling consumers to make informed, sustainable choices.
Pickler's compliance with the Green Claim Directive
The Green Claims Directive is an EU regulation to combat greenwashing, ensuring companies’ environmental claims are clear, accurate, and verifiable. Part of the EU Green Deal, it protects consumers from misleading green marketing and promotes truly sustainable products.
Pickler follows this directive by adhering to the following principles:
Evidence-Based Claims: Pickler’s life cycle assessments (LCA) provide scientifically grounded data, allowing companies to substantiate their claims with credible, compliant evidence.
Clear Communication: Pickler's calculations offer transparent insights into a product’s complete environmental impact, helping companies communicate sustainability information without exaggeration.
Avoiding Cherry-Picking: Pickler’s assessments consider the entire product life cycle, avoiding a narrow focus on single attributes like “plastic-free,” in line with the directive’s holistic approach.
Comparability: Standardized calculations across products make claims consistent and easy to compare, building consumer confidence.
By following these principles, Pickler helps companies build accurate, directive-compliant claims that genuinely reflect a product’s environmental impact.
More information