Milieuklare

Milieuklare is a Dutch-language adjective used to describe information, products, or communications that aim to be transparent about environmental impact and easy to interpret. The term combines milieu ('environment') with klare ('clear') and is used in discussions of environmental communication, sustainability branding, and policy discourse. It is not a formal regulatory category; its meaning can vary by context and speaker.

In practice, milieuklare claims stress clarity and verifiability, often favoring data-driven disclosures such as quantified life-cycle assessments, greenhouse gas inventories, energy use, water use, and waste indicators. Proponents view milieuklare reporting as a way to reduce greenwashing by making environmental claims testable and comparable. Critics caution that without standardized criteria or independent verification, claims can still be misleading or inconsistent, particularly when labels rely on partial data, methodological choices, or selective metrics. Similar concepts include transparent reporting, verifiable sustainability claims, and standardized eco-labels; milieuklare is sometimes used as a complement to or a critique of more generic labels like milieuvriendelijk or duurzaam.

In practice, the adoption of milieuklare standards varies by sector and country, with some organizations pursuing third-party audits or conformity assessments to bolster credibility. See also: greenwashing, environmental labeling, life-cycle assessment, sustainability reporting.