EU bans generic green claims in ads from 27 September

From 27 September, generic green claims are banned in advertising across the European Union. The rule comes from Directive (EU) 2024/825, known as the EmpCo directive. Member states had to write it into national law by 27 March 2026.

The directive does not create a new regulator. It adds new items to the list of unfair commercial practices in the old consumer law, Directive 2005/29/EC, and changes the Consumer Rights Directive. National consumer authorities enforce it with the powers they already have.

Words like eco-friendly and green come off packs on 27 September

A claim such as environmentally friendly, green, ecological, climate friendly or biodegradable can no longer stand on its own. It is allowed only where the seller can show excellent environmental performance for the product. A second ban covers claims about a whole product or a whole company when only one part of it qualifies.

Specific claims still work. The rule is that the explanation sits on the same medium as the claim: the same pack, the same page, the same ad. A line on a separate sustainability report does not count.

Carbon-neutral claims built on offsets are out

A product can no longer be sold as carbon neutral, climate neutral or climate positive when the maths rests on buying offsets. Where a company does both, it has to separate what it cut from what it bought.

A sustainability label now needs a certification scheme behind it

Labels are the third target. A sustainability label has to come from a recognised certification scheme or be set by a public authority. A symbol a brand designs for itself no longer passes.

Regulators were already moving before the deadline. The UK advertising regulator banned three travel ads over unexplained eco hotel claims. The same body stopped Sports Direct ads over price claims. September is a busy month for EU rules in general: Google has pulled flight and hotel prices out of EU search results.

One point causes confusion. The Green Claims Directive is a different, separate proposal about verifying claims before they run. That one is stuck: the European Commission signalled in June 2025 that it wanted to withdraw it, and the file has not moved since. The rules arriving on 27 September are the EmpCo ones, and they are already national law.

From 27 September the words themselves carry the risk, not the small print under them. Packs, product pages and ad copy written before that date keep running unless somebody changes them. There is no grace period in the text, so the first working day under the new rules is Monday 28 September.