Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition: what it means for environmental claims

One of the most important developments is the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive 2024/825 (“EmpCo”), which reshapes how environmental claims can be made to consumers across the EU. 

While discussions around green claims have often focused on the (now withdrawn) Green Claims Directive proposal, EmpCo is the binding legal framework companies must prepare for today. 

What is the Empowering Consumers Directive? 

Adopted in March 2024, EmpCo amends the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and introduces clearer, stricter rules for environmental and sustainability claims made in business-to-consumer (B2C) communications. 

Member States must transpose the directive by 27 March 2026, with application starting on 27 September 2026. From that point onward, enforcement against misleading environmental claims will intensify across EU markets.  

The directive aims to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions by ensuring that environmental information is reliable, specific, and verifiable. 

What changes for environmental claims? 

EmpCo introduces several important shifts that directly affect how companies communicate sustainability: 

• Generic environmental claims such as “ecofriendly”, “green”, or “responsible” are prohibited unless they are clearly specified and substantiated. 

• Sustainability labels are restricted to those based on third-party certification schemes or established public systems. 

• Product-level climate neutrality or reduced impact claims based solely on carbon offsetting are no longer allowed. 

• Forward-looking environmental claims must be credible, transparent, and supported by verifiable commitments. 

In practice, this means companies must move away from broad sustainability messaging and toward precise, evidence-based communication that reflects actual product performance. 

What about the Green Claims Directive? 

The proposed Green Claims Directive, which would have introduced harmonized, EU-wide verification requirements for environmental claims, was not adopted. In 2025, the European Commission withdrew the proposal and halted the legislative process.  

However, this does not weaken consumer protection. On the contrary, EmpCo combined with existing national enforcement and case law already provides authorities with strong tools to act against misleading environmental claims. 

The role of third-party certification 

In this evolving regulatory landscape, third-party verified certifications play an increasingly important role. EmpCo explicitly recognises that sustainability labels must be based on independent, transparent, and credible systems, helping consumers distinguish verified performance from self-declared claims. 

This is where product-level certifications, when used accurately and proportionately, can support compliant communication if claims remain within the scope of what is certified. 

Supporting compliant communication: The Green Claims Guidance 

To help companies navigate these changes, we have updated our Green Claims Guidance to align with the current EU legal framework, including the Empowering Consumers Directive. 

The Guidance: 

• Explains how to substantiate environmental and comparative claims 

• Clarifies how to communicate claims without misleading consumers 

• Sets clear guardrails on the use of certification-based claims 

• Reflects the withdrawal of the Green Claims Directive proposal and the rules that are actually in force 

Read the Institute’s Green Claims Guidance here. 

Preparing for enforcement 

With enforcement starting in September 2026, companies should already be: 

• Reviewing all consumer-facing environmental claims  

• Identifying generic or high-risk wording  

• Ensuring claims are backed by specific, verifiable evidence  

• Aligning internal data, certification, and communication teams 

In this context, Cradle to Cradle Certified® is a real asset providing independently verified, product-level information that enables compliant, transparent environmental claims and helps build consumer trust in a more regulated EU landscape.