„Paper-free"
Annex I No. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo, § 5 Abs. 1 UWG
What does it mean?
The claim 'paper-free' suggests an ecological advantage that is not, however, automatically given. The actual environmental balance of digital processes is complex and depends on factors such as energy consumption of IT infrastructure, manufacture of devices and cloud services. According to Annex I No. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo and § 5 UWG, a blanket claim without concrete substantiation is misleading. In order to communicate 'paper-free' in a legally compliant manner, a comprehensible Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study in accordance with ISO 14040/44 is required, which takes into account the entire value chain and demonstrates the actual environmental benefits.
Typical phrasings
- 'Paper-free office for a green future'
- 'We are a paperless company'
- 'Paper-free – good for the environment'
What you can write instead
'Through the digitisation of our invoicing, we save 50,000 sheets of paper annually – the CO₂ balance has been verified by an LCA study in accordance with ISO 14040/44.'
Required evidence
- LCA study (Life Cycle Assessment) in accordance with ISO 14040/44
- CO₂ footprint calculation (ISO 14067)
- Data on energy consumption of IT infrastructure
Rechtsgrundlage (Originalwortlaut)
Anhang I Nr. 4a UCPD (i.d.F. EmpCo) — generische Umweltaussage ohne anerkannte Nachweise
Quelle: Richtlinie (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo) — verbindlich ist ausschließlich die im Amtsblatt der Europäischen Union veröffentlichte Fassung.
DEDeutsch (amtlich, DE-Fassung Amtsblatt)aufklappenzuklappen
„Treffen einer allgemeinen Umweltaussage, wobei der Gewerbetreibende die anerkannte hervorragende Umweltleistung, auf die sich die Aussage bezieht, nicht nachweisen kann."ENEnglish (Official Journal, EN version)aufklappenzuklappen
„Making a generic environmental claim for which the trader is not able to demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim."FRFrançais (Journal officiel, version FR)aufklappenzuklappen
„Présenter une allégation environnementale générique au sujet de laquelle le professionnel n'est pas en mesure de démontrer l'excellente performance environnementale reconnue en rapport avec l'allégation."NLNederlands (Publicatieblad, NL versie)aufklappenzuklappen
„Het maken van een generieke milieuclaim zonder dat de handelaar erkende voortreffelijke milieuprestaties kan aantonen die relevant zijn voor de claim."