Green Claims Directive

Ban on self-certified sustainability labels – GREENWASHING II

Ban on self-certified sustainability labels – GREENWASHING II

From 27 September 2026, the EmpCo Directive will impose an absolute ban on ‘self-certified’ sustainability labels and logos in the European Union. This is because this kind of labelling risks a lack of transparency and reliability, as well as making it more difficult for consumers to compare products and services based on sustainability – to which they are increasingly attaching importance when making purchasing decisions. In almost half of the active eco-labels in the EU analysed by the European Commission, no, or insufficient, verification of the products or services had been carried out. Self-certified sustainability labels are also a threat to fair competition. So what is the scope of the ban on them and what will the consequences be?

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Ban on generic environmental claims – greenwashing

Ban on generic environmental claims – greenwashing

On 6 March 2024, Directive (EU) 2024/825 was published, aimed at preventing so-called ‘greenwashing’ commercial practices, as well as the use of misleading labelling in relation to sustainability – for example, in brand names and/or company names, Known as the EmpCo Directive, once transposed into national law, it will apply to companies from 27 September 2026. It is vital that company owners and managers familiarise themselves now with these important rules, as dealt with in this blog. Among other things, the EmpCo Directive protects consumers against what are considered unfair commercial practices. This article will focus on one of these, namely the prospective ban on making any generic environmental claim about a product, brand or business, for which the trader is not able to demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance that is also relevant to the claim.

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Misleading Environmental Claims – climate neutral and environmentally neutral

Misleading Environmental Claims – climate neutral and environmentally neutral

Climate/environmental neutrality are advertising buzzwords used to express the environmental credentials of a company. They can be found in advertisements as well as on the products themselves. Whether and when such claims are exaggerated and may mislead consumers is currently being clarified by the courts. A status update is therefore in order.

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