89% of respondents believe that purchasing environmentally friendly products can bring real benefits.
Most Europeans would be ready to change their consumption habits by buying more “green” products, even though many are convinced they are not sufficiently informed and do not trust the environmental arguments of producers.
This is the result of the survey titled “European Opinions on Building the Single Market for Green Products,” which reveals that 77% of respondents would be willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products if they were certain that they truly are, while just over half of EU citizens (55%) believe they are informed about the environmental impact of the products they purchase and use.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS. 89% of EU citizens believe that purchasing environmentally friendly products can bring real benefits to the environment and that such products are as effective as regular ones (74%). Trust that products labeled as environmentally friendly are indeed less harmful is highest in Portugal (84%), Malta (82%), France (81%), and Belgium (81%), while the most skeptical consumers are found in Germany (44%), Romania (46%), and the Netherlands (47%).
EU CITIZENS BELIEVE PRODUCER STATEMENTS. Just over half of EU citizens generally believe the statements made by producers regarding the ecological properties of their products (52%), although the majority of Europeans do not trust the information provided by companies about their “green profile” (54%). The EU countries whose citizens are most likely to think they have encountered exaggerated or misleading statements are Romania (40%), Bulgaria (40%), Greece (39%), and Latvia (37%). This belief is less widespread in Malta (17%) and Estonia (20%). EU citizens are also strong supporters of the need to require companies to publish reports on their overall environmental profile and the environmental characteristics of their products (69%).
WILLING TO PAY MORE. Regarding costs, two-thirds of EU citizens (66%) would be willing to pay more for a product if the warranty were extended to five years. More than nine out of ten respondents also believe that the lifespan of products should be indicated (92%). Almost half of the respondents in the last 12 months decided not to repair a defective product due to excessive costs (47%).
Wastewater treatment, 258 administrations are involved in EU infringement procedures. The alarm from geologists: “In Italy, 40% of rivers and lakes are polluted, Europe will sanction us”
In Italy, the pollution of 40% of rivers and lakes continues to produce ongoing and serious environmental emergencies and even exposes us financially to economic sanctions that Europe will soon impose for having disregarded more than one European directive and several legislative measures regarding wastewater treatment. An estimated cost of about 700 million per year, which the State and Regions will have to bear, in addition to cuts to some European funds, until the provisions assigned to our nation are fully implemented.
In Italy, 268 administrations are involved in infringement procedures for lack or absence of treatment systems: 109 have already been condemned based on a procedure from 2004 and 159 are currently undergoing procedures since 2009. The Authority for Energy has estimated that between the implementation of the interventions already planned in the area plans and the construction of new treatment plants necessary to overcome the condemnations and infringement procedures, investments of about 20 billion will be needed over the next five years.
Meanwhile, the pressure exerted on the environment in general and on water in particular by industrial activities remains very heavy and continues to raise concerns about the negative effects on human health and ecosystems caused by the presence of hazardous substances, especially in groundwater, but also in soil, subsoil, and sediments.
Promoting best practices in the protection and management of groundwater resources according to the principles of European directives and safeguarding water resources in a country like ours, which unfortunately often stands out for its reckless use, is at least a civil battle to which geologists have long been committed.
We know that in Italy, water resources are overall sufficient to meet needs and that the problem lies in their management and correct use.
Source: Gian Vito Graziano, president of the National Council of Geologists.
