GREEN GATEKEEPERS

What legal rules for environmental quality certifiers?

Monday, March 11, 2024, at 3:00 PM

IUSS Pavia, Broletto Palace

Main Hall - Fireplace Room

Introduction by:

Prof. Alberto Monti (IUSS Pavia)

Guest Speaker:

Prof. Luca Enriques (University of Oxford)

Products offered on the market are increasingly labeled as "carbon neutral," "recycled," "biodegradable," "organic," "eco-friendly," and "sustainable." But are the marketing claims about the environmental qualities of products truly reliable? Consumers cannot say for sure. From an economic perspective, environmental qualities are "credence attributes," meaning qualities of the product that cannot be verified even after consumption. In the era of the green economy, certifiers provide a response to this problem. Sometimes by virtue of specific legal obligations, but more often commissioned by companies on a voluntary basis, these entities issue "green" certifications to reduce informational asymmetries and promote sustainable market choices aimed at combating climate change. But how can the law guarantee the integrity and correctness of the "green information" conveyed by environmental certifiers? Do legal systems provide consumers with adequate tools to discover the truth, provided they truly want to know it? What rules need to be introduced to efficiently regulate the market for environmental certifications?

Recognized as an educational activity for Ordinary Courses for Students of the IUSS School

The event will be held in the Italian language.