Malmö – September 24, 2026 -- The EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo) takes effect September 27, 2026, requiring companies to substantiate any environmental claims made to consumers with clear, specific and credible evidence, a rule change welcomed by Duni Group.
Directive bans vague labels like "eco-friendly" without proof
EmpCo strengthens existing EU consumer protection law by targeting misleading environmental claims, unreliable sustainability labels and generic terms such as "green" or "eco-friendly" when unsupported by recognized environmental performance data. Companies will no longer be able to rely on broad or generic claims unless properly explained and substantiated; claims must instead be tied to specific products, packaging, materials or verified improvements.
Self-created sustainability labels lose credibility under new rules
A key restriction bars companies from using self-created symbols, icons or labels that are not based on a certification scheme or established by public authorities, closing a loophole that let firms imply independent verification without third-party checks.
"Clearer rules can help reduce greenwashing, improve consumer trust, and strengthen the credibility of companies that take sustainability communication seriously," said Erik Lindroth, Sustainability Director at Duni Group.
National implementation creates compliance risk across EU markets
Because EmpCo will be transposed into national legislation and enforced by local authorities, identical claims translated into different languages may be interpreted differently depending on the market, according to Lindroth. He noted the directive imposes a hard deadline rather than a transition period, complicating compliance for companies with products already in distribution across multiple EU states.
Duni Group cites three years of preparation for stricter claims regime
Duni Group says it has tracked EU sustainability claims regulation and prepared for the now-postponed Green Claims Directive over the past three years. With that directive delayed to an unspecified date, EmpCo and corresponding national laws now constitute the highest compliance bar for sustainability-related claims across EU member states, Lindroth said.