EmpCo Directive and Green Claims Directive are not the same thing
In issue no. 208 of the TOS, June 2026, we published an article on the imminent entry into force on 27th September 2026, of the EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825). The Directive is addressed to consumer protection and complements two existing directives, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD, 2005/29/EC) and the Consumer Rights Directive (CRD, 2011/83/EU).
The Directive prohibits certain advertising practices that lead to greenwashing and eliminates the possibility of using environmental and sustainability terms without demonstrable justification. Terms such as ‘Organic’, ‘Eco’, etc. are included in this definition of general terms that may not be used without oversight.
It might be a bit of confusion because there is another Directive also dealing with greenwashing that is The Green Claims Directive (GCD).
The Green Claims Directive goes beyond the EmpCo Directive by introducing more comprehensive requirements for the substantiation, communication and verification of explicit environmental claims. In particular, it envisaged stricter standards for scientific evidence, life cycle assessments and independent verification. However, the legislative process has currently stalled, with trilogue negotiations suspended.
In summary, important to be remembered: EmpCo Directive about to come into force. The Green Directive (GDC), suspended for the time being.
Nuria Alonso. TOS Commissioning Editor