An EU directive to ban the use of misleading environmental claims on products has been overwhelmingly passed by the European Parliament.
A total of 593 MEPs voted in favour of the new rules, with 21 voting against and 14 abstentions.
Once the directive is published and signed, member states will then have two years to transpose it into law.
Producers will also have to ensure that sustainability claims are officially certified or approved by established by public authorities.
Under the proposed directive unfounded claims on products such as "environmentally friendly", "natural", or "biodegradable" will be banned unless they can be proved.
Such proof can only be sought by official certification schemes or established public authorities.
MEPs are seeking to eliminate so called greenwashing by companies.
There is a focus too on ensuring guarantee claims can be trusted, by banning unfounded durability labels, in the hope that producers will focus on producer more long-lasting goods.
Green Party MEP Ciaran Cuffe said that consumers want longer-lasting products.
"They should know, from the moment they buy a product, how long it should last and how easy it will be to repair.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said there are a huge amount of claims about products these days, and this directive will put the onus on the manufacturer to provide detailed evidence.
"These days there's a huge amount of claims on the airwaves and in print saying that products are biodegradable, climate neutral or eco this or environmental that and people are confused.
"So the onus will be on the manufacturer to provide the detailed evidence, but also not to use certain phrases such as climate neutral by offsetting by, you know, planting trees over in the middle of the Amazon."
Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews said that "green products, sustainable practises and ethical sourcing are what a new generation of consumers want and yet we actually make it more difficult for consumers to make these types of informed choices. Greenwashing and its consequences are a scourge
"For too long manufactures have been able to claim that their product is sustainable or ethically sourced without requiring proof", he said.
Meanwhile, MEP Mick Wallace from the Left Group explained that "climate claims for products based on carbon offsetting will now, based on the parliament's work, be added to the list of unfair commercial practices.
"This ban is limited to products. It doesn't cover company-wide claims but is still significant", he added.
