EU warned over ‘regenerative’ greenwashing
Photo credit: Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash
In a joint statement, IFOAM Organics Europe, farmers’ organisations and NGOs warned against the misleading use of ‘regenerative’ around EU agriculture.
They argue that regenerative claims could shift political focus, public funding and market recognition away from genuinely transformative, publicly accountable food system solutions already in place across Europe.
The statement stresses that practices labelled as ‘regenerative’ can include highly degenerative approaches, obscured by a handful of cosmetic measures. It adds that millions of farmers and territorial food actors are already building resilient food systems based on agroecological and organic principles that deliver tangible environmental and social benefits through credible, transparent and accountable practices.
Jan Plagge, president of IFOAM Organics Europe, says: “Organic farming has for decades delivered on the principles now broadly also associated with the regeneration of our soils and agroecosystem, through a legally defined, holistic and publicly verified framework. The concern lies with undefined narratives that allow input-intensive models, continued reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, or weak environmental practices to be marketed as sustainability, and not with farmers who are genuinely improving soil health, biodiversity and resilience. Such narratives risk undermining both farmers’ efforts and consumer trust.”
“The issue is not whether farmers use the word regenerative, but whether EU policy and markets reward real transformation or vague claims.”
The signatories, including Compassion in World Farming, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, highlight that a loosely defined concept of ‘regenerative’ agriculture is increasingly being used in EU policy documents and debates to divert attention and resources away from genuinely transformative approaches.
“The issue is not whether farmers use the word regenerative, but whether EU policy and markets reward real transformation or vague claims,” Eduardo Cuoco, director of IFOAM Organics Europe, explains. “Public support, sustainability reporting and corporate sourcing strategies must be based on clear criteria, public accountability and verifiable benefits for ecosystems. Organic and agroecological systems already offer credible pathways for this transition; they should not be weakened by undefined concepts that allow business-as-usual practices to be rebranded as sustainability.”
The joint statement urges EU policymakers and market actors to back coherent transition pathways, while strengthening environmental standards and consumer trust. “Europe must ensure that actions speak louder than words and that future transitions remain credible, transparent, grounded in the public interest, and anchored in verifiable and publicly governed approaches,” it concludes.
By Jane Wolfe, contributor