EmpCo Directive: New EU rules for environmental advertising from 27 September 2026

From 27 September 2026, the EU restricts unsubstantiated environmental advertising. The basis is the EmpCo Directive (EU) 2024/825, which amends unfair-competition law (in Germany the UWG). It applies to all commercial advertising aimed at consumers – including marketplace sellers and small businesses. There is no transition period for goods already listed.

Newly prohibited, in particular:

• generic terms without proof – “sustainable", “eco-friendly", “green", “eco", “climate-neutral", “climate-positive", “biodegradable";
• “climate-neutral" where this rests only on purchased CO₂ certificates (offsetting) – including for shipping;
• self-awarded sustainability labels without independent certification;
• overall claims when only a part is affected (e.g. “sustainable product" when only the packaging is recycled).

The same applies to social claims such as “fairly produced".

Still permitted are concrete, verifiable statements: “shipping box made from 100% recycled paper" instead of “sustainable packaging". Labels only if they rest on a certified scheme with independent oversight or are issued by a public body. Climate claims require genuine own emission reductions with a traceable methodology.

New information duties before purchase – these must be made visible: the period for software updates (for goods with digital elements), repairability, availability of spare parts and any durability guarantees beyond the statutory warranty. Unfounded durability claims (such as an invented number of usage cycles) are not allowed.

Penalties: Breaches count as unfair regardless of intent. The directive provides for fines of up to four percent of annual turnover; the exact level is set by national implementing law. For small businesses, warnings (Abmahnungen) and cease-and-desist claims are the more likely consequence in practice.

Relevant wherever environmental terms or own labels appear: in product texts, on packaging and in advertising material. When revising product texts, the article ChatGPT for product descriptions helps; packaging statements also relate to the PPWR from August 2026.

Note: general information, not legal advice. The national implementation is decisive; for existing claims, a legal review is advisable. As of 18 June 2026.

Sources

• Umweltbundesamt: EU adopts new rules to combat greenwashing
• Directive (EU) 2024/825 (EUR-Lex, full text)
• e-commerce-magazin: EmpCo Directive – evidence instead of green promises
• WBS Legal: EmpCo Directive from 2026