Preventing a Consumer Product Ban in the EU

Our Client

Ancillary industry trade organization.

The Issue

Included in a larger environmental package being considered by the European Union were provisions that would create new onerous regulations that would change the labeling of consumer products, terming them as hazardous, and that threatened to ban a sizeable number of products in the EU.

The Challenge

Since this was a large regulatory package that was broadly favored in Brussels, it was challenging to inject nuisance into the discussion. Due to its popularity, the regulations were moving at an expedited pace. Additionally, breaking through to the media on a smaller but important issue had already been a challenge our client had faced before engaging us.

The Opportunity

These proposed regulations would disproportionately impact the farmers and economies that relied upon the essential oils market. Additionally, they impacted more rural communities and specific member states of the EU that are often overlooked but were an important part of the economic bloc.

The Plan

We started with a counternarrative and built a multifaceted advocacy campaign, highlighting both the consumer impact of these proposed regulations as well as their economic impact.

Simultaneously, we partnered with various consumer groups to run an aggressive media outreach campaign to shed light on the unintended consequences of the well-meaning but misguided regulations. Outreach efforts included meetings with specific MEPs on the relevant committees and holding information sessions on the topic in Brussels.

The Result

Within six months, European Members of Parliament began asking similar questions about the consumer and economic impact of the regulations, calling for a realistic assessment of the proposed regulations. The final version of the regulations included an exemption for essential oils on the labeling and banning provisions, allowing our client to resume their business uninterrupted while also inviting them to share valuable scientific research on their products to help shape future regulatory discussions.