Overview
- The EmpCo directive, which took effect on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, bans vague environmental claims and requires that all consumer-facing sustainability statements be specific, evidenced and transparent.
- Germany’s Bundestag approved a narrow transitional allowance that lets qualifying already-marketed products with now-prohibited claims be sold until Sept. 26, 2028.
- The law forbids claims based only on carbon offsets or future compensatory actions and bars company-owned seals unless they rest on independent or state-set certification.
- EmpCo requires claim details to appear in the same advertising medium, rejects QR-code deferral of evidence, and creates immediate legal risk from cease-and-desist warnings, injunctions and competitor or consumer-group lawsuits.
- Consumer groups praise the move but warn of implementation gaps for chemical-related claims and the EU is preparing a follow-up Green Claims Directive to standardize verification and testing methods.