NGOs File Complaint Against EU Moves to Water Down Sustainability Regulations

A coalition of seven NGOs has lodged a complaint with the European Ombudsman, contesting moves by the European Commission to water down key sustainability regulations.

The EU proposed a raft of reforms to incoming sustainability rules earlier this year, as policymakers aimed to prioritise the trading bloc’s economic competitiveness and cut red tape. The changes, which still need to be approved by the European Parliament and Council, would slash environmental reporting requirements for thousands of business and substantially reduce supply-chain oversight.

The coalition of nonprofits, which includes fashion-focused Clean Clothes Campaign, as well as Anti-Slavery International, Friends of the Earth Europe and Global Witness, said the move was “undemocratic, untransparent and rushed.”

“[The] proposal was made without any public consultation, sidelining civil society, with a lack of evidence or environmental and social impact assessments, and with a primary focus on narrow industry interests,” the organisations said in a statement.

The European Ombudsman is an independent body, created to hold the EU’s institutions and agencies to account. It cannot force the Commission to reverse its decisions, but if it were to take up the case and find in favour of the NGOs, it would put pressure on the institution to reconsider.

Learn more:

The EU’s Retreat on Sustainability Regulations, Explained

The European Union has unveiled plans to significantly water down landmark sustainability rules that would require large fashion brands to report more details about their environmental footprint and take on more responsibility for abuses in their supply chains.