EUPublished: 20 September 2026

[Regulatory Update] EU Anti-Greenwashing Rules (EmpCo) Began to Apply on 27 September

Source:European Commission (EC) / Directive (EU) 2024/825

The EU Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo, Directive (EU) 2024/825) began to apply on 27 September 2026. New rules on environmental claims made to consumers, including environmental statements and sustainability labels, now apply. EU Member States were required to transpose the Directive into national law by 27 March 2026. National consumer protection authorities, through the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network, have developed a common understanding on enforcement for products already on the market ("old stock"), an initiative welcomed by the European Commission. For companies, it is becoming increasingly important to review the environmental and sustainability claims used in their EU marketing from a consumer protection perspective.

Editor's View

The 27 September application date marked the point at which the EU's fight against greenwashing moved from legislation to application in actual business practice and consumer-facing claims. For companies selling products or services in the EU, statements about environmental performance or sustainability are no longer just marketing language; they can become subject to enforcement by national consumer protection authorities. For companies operating across multiple Member States in particular, understanding how the EU-level rules relate to national transposition and enforcement will be essential. On 28 May 2026, the Commission sent letters of formal notice (the first step of infringement proceedings) to the 20 Member States that had not completed transposition.

※ This article is based on official public information from an external source (European Commission (EC) / Directive (EU) 2024/825) and has been analyzed and organized for practical use.

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Related Regulation Information

EU Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (Directive (EU) 2024/825)

The Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (Directive (EU) 2024/825) amends the EU's Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) to ban unsubstantiated environmental claims (greenwashing) and premature obsolescence, and to strengthen the reliability of product sustainability claims. It broadly restricts vague terms such as "carbon neutral," "eco," and "climate-friendly," as well as product-level claims of net-zero emissions based solely on the purchase of carbon offsets.

See this regulation's full analysis (timeline & business impact)

💡 The overview and schedule for the regulation related to this article can also be found on the Regulatory Gateway Database page.