An organisation that makes green claims in its communications with the public or other external stakeholders must make sure those claims are accurate and verifiable.
Failure to do so increases the risk of litigation, regulatory enforcement and reputational damage for greenwashing.
Audience
Board Members and executives of EU and non-EU companies
Duration
2 hours
Format
Interactive workshop
Materials provided
TBD
Sample Agenda
In this workshop, we will go through the EU regulatory framework for greenwashing, including changes to related changes to the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and related guidance, the Greenwashing Directive and the upcoming Green Claims Directive.
Participants will leave this course with a clear understanding of the Dos and Don’ts. It can be adapted to your organization’s individual needs as every training includes a video (call) to optimise the training for you. For an optimal learning effect, we recommend face-to-face trainings, however, trainings can also be held online.
9:00 AM – 9:05 AM | Welcome and Introduction
- Brief overview of the workshop objectives
- Outline of topics to be covered
9:05 AM – 9:20 AM | What is Greenwashing?
- Definitions and important terms
- Distinguishing greenwashing from related practices:
- Green hushing
- Green bleaching
- Bluewashing
- Pinkwashing
9:20 AM – 9:35 AM | Circumstances That Can Give Rise to Greenwashing
- Key areas of risk:
- Advertising, sales, and marketing
- Business transactions
- Corporate disclosure and reporting obligations
- Excurse (5 min): Financial services greenwashing
9:35 AM – 9:55 AM | What Are the Risks of Greenwashing?
- Litigation risks
- Regulatory enforcement framework in the EU:
- Changes to the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and related guidance
- Overview of the “Greenwashing Directive”
- Introduction to the upcoming “Green Claims Directive”
- Reputational damage
9:55 AM – 10:40 AM | How to Avoid Greenwashing?
- Practical Dos and Don’ts for organisations
- Step-by-step preparation for compliance with the Green Claims Directive
10:40 AM – 11:00 AM | Group Discussion, Q&A and Closing Remarks
- Recap of key takeaways
- Next steps and additional resources
The presenter
Dr Alexandra von Westernhagen benefits from over 20 years as an EU regulatory lawyer gained in seven jurisdictions (including Brussels, the UK & Germany), in international private practice, academia (e.g. MIT) & international organizations (European Commission & OECD).
She is currently Partner & Head of EU Sustainability at Liberius Legal based in Brussels, the heart of the EU, as well as EU/Regulatory Partner at Keystone Law in London. She is also a Board member (Europe) of the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL).
Alexandra regularly provides EU law overview & strategic implementation trainings to company boards and members of their organizations, including to Barclays, Sodexo, Royal Mail and many other EU and international companies, law firms, public sector organizations, universities and think tanks.
