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

ENFORCEMENT TIMELINE

Full application from September 27, 2026 (national transposition deadline: March 27, 2026)

Enforcement: Full application from September 27, 2026 (national transposition deadline: March 27, 2026)

Overview

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.

Enforcement Timeline

March 2024: Formally published and enters into force in the EU Official Journal.

March 27, 2026: Deadline for EU Member States to transpose the Directive into national law.

September 27, 2026: Full application begins across Member States.

Related Regulations / Topics

France AGEC Act — Article 13 Consumer Disclosure of Product Environmental Characteristics and the Triman Marking Requirement

Under Article 13 of France's AGEC Act, companies selling products in the French market are required to make environmental characteristic information, such as recycled content, reusability, hazardous substance content, and microplastic release, available online in a dematerialized product information sheet (fiche produit), and to display the Triman mark together with Info-tri sorting instructions on packaging and products.

Business Impact

Manufacturers and exporters selling or distributing products in the EU market must review environmental labels and claims on product packaging, advertising, and websites. Because advertising claims such as "carbon-neutral product" based on the purchase of carbon offsets are prohibited, companies will need to present objective evidence based on direct emissions-reduction data (Scope 1–3) across the supply chain. Non-compliance carries the risk of penalties and product recalls under the national laws of individual Member States.