From 27 September 2026 the ECGT Directive applies in every member state. Generic environmental claims that cannot be substantiated are prohibited. Product-level climate neutrality claims based on offsetting are prohibited. Sustainability labels a company created for itself are prohibited.
Competitors may file complaints, not only consumers and consumer bodies — which in practice means enforcement will not wait for a regulator to notice you.
One correction worth making, in both directions: the Green Claims Directive is neither the binding instrument some suppliers still cite, nor the dead letter it has been widely reported to be since mid-2025. The Commission announced on 20 June 2025 that it intended to withdraw the proposal and the third trilogue was cancelled, but no formal withdrawal has been published and the file remains listed among pending proposals in the 2026 Commission work programme. It is stalled. What has not changed is that it is not law, so a compliance plan built on it is built on nothing you can rely on.
Sources
- Directive (EU) 2024/825 (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition), Official Journal of the European Union — EUR-Lex. Supports the prohibitions listed above and the 27 September 2026 application date.
- European Commission proposal for a Green Claims Directive, COM(2023) 166 — EUR-Lex. Shows that the Green Claims Directive is a proposal, not adopted law.
The 20 June 2025 withdrawal announcement and the 2026 work-programme listing are not linked on this page yet; treat them as reported, not verified here.
