From 27 September 2026, a hang tag that says "eco-friendly" or "climate neutral" without proof behind it is illegal across the EU. The law is Directive (EU) 2024/825, the Empowering Consumers Directive. Adopted on 28 February 2024, and unlike the paused Green Claims Directive it has not moved. The proof it asks for is the certificate behind the claim.
Key takeaways
Information before purchase: durability, repairability and software-update periods must be shown to the consumer before they buy, from 27 September 2026.
Generic claims banned: "green", "eco-friendly" and the like are illegal without proof of excellent environmental performance.
Offsetting is not neutrality: a "climate neutral" claim based only on offsets is banned. The claim has to rest on the product's own performance.
On schedule: adopted 28 February 2024, transposed by 27 March 2026, applies from 27 September 2026.
What is Directive (EU) 2024/825?
The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive was adopted on 28 February 2024. It amends two laws every EU seller already lives under: the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive. It adds environmental and durability claims to what counts as misleading, and adds durability and repair information to what a consumer must be told before buying.
It binds every business selling to consumers in the EU and the EEA, wherever the business sits. A directive, not a regulation: each member state wrote it into national law by 27 March 2026, and the national laws apply from 27 September 2026. It is one of the EU product rules in these guides.
Where the EU Empowering Consumers Directive stands
Adopted 28 February 2024, transposition deadline 27 March 2026, application from 27 September 2026. The Commission's harmonised warranty notice and label designs are specified. The Green Claims Directive, which would have added the substantiation rules, is paused since June 2025; this directive is not.
Three things it targets: greenwashing, early failure, unreliable labels
The directive goes after three things a consumer cannot check at the shelf. A green claim that is not true, a product built to fail early, and a sustainability label nobody verified.
Greenwashing
Claims that make a product sound more sustainable than the evidence supports.
Early failure
Products designed to fail early, so the consumer buys again and the old one becomes waste.
Unreliable labels
Labels and certifications with no verification behind them.
It does this by amending two directives. The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive sets how products may be marketed; the Consumer Rights Directive sets what a consumer must be told before buying.
It applies to every business-to-consumer practice in the EU and EEA, non-EU sellers included.
Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition: what it means for brands
Two sets of amendments carry the rules. The first widens what counts as a misleading practice; the second widens what the consumer must be told. Both apply from 27 September 2026.
What changes in the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
Environmental, social and circularity characteristics now count as key product features, so a misleading statement about any of them is an unfair practice. A list of named prohibitions follows below.
Terms to know · Greenwashing
Making misleading or unsubstantiated environmental claims about a product or company, such as using vague terms like "eco-friendly" or "green" without verified evidence.
A claim about the future, such as "carbon neutral by 2030", needs a public, verifiable commitment with an implementation plan, measurable targets and dates, checked regularly by an independent third party.
A comparison with competitors must disclose the method, name the products and suppliers compared, and say how the information is kept current.
What changes in the Consumer Rights Directive
Before purchase the consumer must be told: repairability and durability, after-sales service, a repairability score where one exists, the minimum software-update period for digital goods, greener delivery options, and the harmonised warranty labels.
A warranty about lifespan covers the whole product, not one part. A harmonised notice reminds the consumer of the two-year EU legal guarantee. A commercial guarantee that is longer than two years and costs nothing carries a harmonised label with its duration.
The standard reminder of the two-year EU legal guarantee, shown the same way in every member state.
Shows the duration of a commercial guarantee that costs nothing, covers the whole product and exceeds two years.
What Directive (EU) 2024/825 bans
- "Eco-friendly" without proof
- "Carbon neutral" via offsets only
- Unauthorised sustainability labels
- Hiding software update impacts
- Products designed to fail early
- Claims with certified proof
- Genuine performance improvements
- Verified labelling schemes
- Transparent update policies
- Documented durability data
The full list of banned practices:
- Using sustainability labels not based on certification schemes or established by public authorities
- Making generic environmental claims like 'green', 'eco-friendly', or 'nature positive' without proof of excellent environmental performance
- Suggesting environmental benefits apply to an entire product when only specific components qualify
- Claiming environmental neutrality based solely on emission offsetting
- Promoting mandatory legal requirements (such as the standard 2-year warranty) as unique product features
- Withholding information about software updates that cause device incompatibility or reduced functionality
- Presenting optional feature updates as necessary functionality updates
- Promoting products with intentional lifespan limitations
- Making false durability or repairability claims
- Encouraging premature replacement of consumable parts that do not need replacing
EU 2024/825 timeline: 27 September 2026
Directive (EU) 2024/825 adopted
Published in Official Journal of the European Union
Entry into force
Commission specifies harmonised notice and label design
National governments must adopt directive requirements into national law
Requirements enter into force through national legislation
What the directive means for your team from 27 September 2026
The directive asks one thing of every claim on your product: that the evidence behind it exists and can be produced. From 27 September 2026 that is checked at the point of sale, by national authorities, product by product.
What that means for the data your team keeps:
- A document behind every environmental claim: the transaction certificate, test report or audit, with issuer and standard, linked to the product it applies to.
- Durability and repair information per model: repair scores, spare-part availability, expected lifespan and the software-update period, ready to show before purchase.
- Warranty terms as data: the legal two-year guarantee notice and any commercial guarantee, in the harmonised format, per product.
- Nothing published that cannot be proven: a claim without a document is a claim the directive bans.
Brands running a compliance or sustainability programme in Tappr hold this data already: the certificate is retrieved from the product record, not assembled from inboxes when the authority writes.
Empowering Consumers Directive questions, answered
What is the Empowering Consumers Directive?
How does this relate to the Green Claims Directive?
Can I still say my product is 'sustainable' or 'eco-friendly'?
What counts as a generic environmental claim?
When do I need to comply?
Official sources
Built from these official sources: