Conclusion and Discussion

Abstract

The presented chapters taken together show that the extent to which the interpretation and application of EU law to sustainability labels inhibits sustainable consumption depends on the specific normative assumptions underlying legal interpretation. Using critical legal analysis as a theoretical framework, it was found that most commonly, the interpretation and application of EU law uses normative assumptions derived from a noncritical application of neoclassical law and economics. In this book, I went through three legal frameworks and showed that when these normative assumptions on how consumers perceive sustainability attributes on food products in each of these frameworks changed, the inhibitive effect of the respective legal framework on sustainable consumption changed as well. Results show that the use of normative assumptions based on a noncritical application of neoclassical law and economics has an inhibiting effect on sustainability labels that promote best practices in sustainable development (e.g. sustainability labels that promote human well-being are prohibited as benefits are solely assessed in monetary terms), while it leaves more space to sustainability labels that do not promote such best practices (e.g. sustainability labels that greenwash products are not prohibited because the consumer is considered to easily distinguish greenwashed products from sustainable products).