“Eco-friendly”. “Green”. “Sustainable”. Lovely words. From 27 September 2026, though, they could become expensive ones – if your customers cannot see a clear, specific and substantiated explanation beside them. Let’s do a quick EmpCo check.
Directive (EU) 2024/825 – better known as EmpCo, or Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition – strengthens consumer protection against greenwashing. It affects consumer-facing communication: websites, e-commerce stores, product pages, banners, videos, newsletters and every language version of them.
For brands, this is not a matter of rewriting one sustainability page. It is about understanding which environmental claims are actually live today, and whether every one of them has the right evidence, context and localised explanation.
Do you use phrases such as “eco-friendly”, “green”, “sustainable”, “responsible”, “conscious” or “carbon neutral” on your website? Start with an inventory, not a hunch.
What changes on 27 September
EmpCo updates EU rules on unfair commercial practices and consumer rights. Member States had to transpose the Directive by 27 March 2026; it starts applying on 27 September 2026.
The Directive is horizontal: it applies to B2C communication across sectors. It does not decide whether a product is inherently “green”. It focuses on how brands present environmental characteristics to consumers.
That means reviewing more than new campaigns. Existing product cards, e-commerce categories, range names, old landing pages, PDFs, visuals, subtitles and local campaign versions belong in scope too.
Where risk tends to hide
1. Broad claims without a clear explanation
Words such as “eco-friendly”, “green”, “nature’s friend”, “climate-friendly”, “biodegradable” and “sustainable” can be generic environmental claims. If their specification is not clear, prominent and on the same medium, they create risk.
A footer, tiny tooltip or a link to a “Learn more about sustainability” page is not a substitute. The customer needs to understand what the benefit is, what it covers and what supports it right where the claim appears.
For example:
- Risky: “Sustainable packaging”
- More specific: “100% of the electricity used to manufacture this packaging comes from renewable sources.”
A specific statement is not automatically compliant, of course. It still needs to be truthful, proportionate and supported by relevant evidence.
2. Product names, category names and proprietary labels
“EcoLine”, “Green Choice”, “Conscious Collection” or a “sustainable choice” filter are not merely names. In a sales context, they may function as environmental claims.
The same applies to proprietary badges, seals and icons. A sustainability label that is neither based on a certification scheme nor established by a public authority is one of the practices EmpCo explicitly addresses.
3. Carbon neutrality and offsetting
At product level, EmpCo prohibits claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive environmental impact in terms of greenhouse-gas emissions where the claim is based on offsetting outside the product’s value chain.
Put simply: “CO₂ neutral because we offset” is not a safe shortcut. Claims about future environmental performance – a climate-neutrality target, for example – also need a clear, publicly available and verifiable implementation plan with measurable targets and independent monitoring.
4. Translation that changes the claim
A global brand may prepare its source copy carefully. The problem can still appear in a local language version.
“Reduced CO₂ impact” does not mean “no impact on the climate”. “Made with recycled content” does not automatically become “a recycled product”. And if one language version contains the specification while another leaves only the slogan, the risk remains in the second version.
EmpCo is therefore not just a legal or ESG matter. It is a localisation project: every language version, dub, subtitle, product feed and translated alt text is its own part of consumer communication.
What to check first
Start pragmatically. You do not need to assess every pixel on day one, but you do need to know where your claims live.
- Build a content inventory. Include URLs for every language version, product cards, categories, filters, blogs, banners, PDFs, video and newsletters.
- Search for high-risk wording. Look beyond “eco” and “sustainable” to range names, proprietary icons, packaging, recycling, material, emissions and future-target claims.
- Match each claim to evidence. Who owns it? What data, methodology, certificate or measurement supports it? Is that evidence current?
- Check the scope. Does the claim refer to a product, packaging, manufacturing, transport or the whole company? Your copy must not promise more than your evidence demonstrates.
- Review every language and market. Does each version retain the same specification? Are figures, units, links, certification names and local context correct?
- Set a workflow for new content. Marketing, ESG, legal, e-commerce and localisation teams need to know who approves what – and when.
Two ways to get started
1. Download the free EmpCo checklist
We created a practical EmpCo checklist for multilingual communication. Use it to review generic claims, evidence, certifications, visuals, video, language versions and internal approval processes.
2. Run a website scan with glocco®
Not sure where to begin, or managing hundreds or thousands of URLs? Our tool scans your website communication and helps identify where potentially risky environmental claims appear.
It gives your internal audit a practical starting point: the pages, terms and language versions that should be prioritised for expert review, evidence gathering or rewriting.
Why is it important to check
Most issues do not appear when legal approves the source copy. They emerge between the original and the last language version – in a product feed, shortened banner, subtitle, automated translation or forgotten local landing page.
At glocco®, we help brands manage the language side of EmpCo readiness: reviewing claim consistency across languages, building approved and high-risk terminology glossaries, carrying out independent linguistic reviews, and localising websites, e-commerce content and audiovisual assets without losing the claim’s meaning or specification.
This is not legal advice. It is how you make sure that the communication your legal and ESG teams approve stays just as precise in every market and language.
Don’t leave EmpCo in a slide deck
27 September is close. Start by finding out what you are really communicating today – across every URL, format and language.
Download the checklist or start an EmpCo website scan to turn an unknown risk into a concrete list of next steps:
Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The assessment of a specific claim depends on the circumstances of each case and on national transposition in the relevant market.
