The EU green claims rules are here, and honest brands should be glad
Since 27th September, the way brands talk about the environment has changed across the EU, and I think it is one of the best things to happen to our sector this year.
The rules come from the EU's directive on empowering consumers for the green transition, which amends existing consumer protection law. Three things are now banned outright. Generic environmental claims, the eco friendly, green, kind to the planet language, are banned unless you can show recognised excellent environmental performance. Sustainability labels that a brand has created for itself, rather than ones based on a proper certification scheme or set up by a public authority, are banned. And claiming a product is climate neutral, carbon neutral or climate positive is banned where that claim rests on offsetting emissions outside the product's own value chain. The rules also catch claims that make a whole product sound recycled when only the packaging is.
Two details will catch people out. First, this applies to claims and labels on products already on the shelf, not just new production, so old stock and old swing tags are in scope. Second, being a UK brand does not put you outside it. As Stephen Sidkin of Fox Williams set out in CWB last week, if your packaging and marketing reach EU consumers, including through a distributor or retailer, you are exposed, and selling business to business does not get you off the hook. UK law already requires environmental claims to be truthful and substantiated, and since April 2025 the Competition and Markets Authority can fine businesses directly for breaking consumer law. The EU has simply gone further and named the things that are never allowed.
Clearly the EU is trying to stop businesses making claims they cannot back up, and in my opinion that absolutely has to happen. I have recently heard business owners in our sector describe a product as sustainable, and when I have asked them about it, they have become quite defensive. It has soon become obvious that what they were calling sustainable either was not, or they had not really researched it and could not be completely sure the claim would stand up. Now it has to.
This is why I think honest brands should be glad. There is nothing more frustrating, when you are trying to do the right thing, than being pitched against a business that is not being transparent about what it does, very often at a lower price. The brands doing things properly have been losing out to the ones that simply say the right words. These rules start to level that playing field, because proof has just become an advantage rather than an expense.
I also hope it helps to push back on the ultra low price marketplaces that have been growing fast across Europe. When consumer organisations in five European countries tested products bought from Temu and Shein last year, seven out of ten did not meet European safety standards, and around a quarter were described as downright dangerous. Prices like that teach consumers really bad habits about what a product should cost, without ever explaining who or what is actually paying. It is not the customer. It is the people who make the product and the planet. Rules that make every seller prove its claims, working alongside digital product passports, are part of how we stop that.
Digital product passports matter here because they are the evidence. The textile requirements under the EU's ecodesign rules are expected to be set in 2027, and under the new EU Toy Safety Regulation every toy will need a digital product passport from 1st August 2030. Put simply, the green claims rules say you must be able to prove it, and the passport is where the proof will live. As I always say, look at a passport as a marketing tool, not an operational cost, and make sure it is third party verified rather than built in house.
What this means for you: start with an audit. List every environmental claim you make, on labels, swing tags, packaging, your website, your social media and your marketplace listings. Match each one to evidence you could show tomorrow. Remove or reword anything you cannot prove, and replace vague words with specific, verifiable facts. Check what your EU distributors and retailers are saying about you, and make sure your agreements let you correct it. And if you sell into particular EU markets, take country specific legal advice, because each member state enforces in its own way.
None of this is designed to catch out the brands this newsletter is written for. It is designed to protect them. Ultimately, misleading claims and unsafe, unaccountable products put the health and safety of children and the planet at risk, and anything that makes honesty the norm is good for all of us.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What do the EU green claims rules ban?
From 27th September 2026: generic environmental claims such as eco friendly without proof of recognised excellent performance, self created sustainability labels not based on a certification scheme or public authority, and climate neutral or carbon neutral claims that rely on offsetting outside the product's own value chain.
Do the rules apply to UK brands?
Yes, if your products, packaging or marketing reach consumers in the EU, including through distributors or retailers. UK consumer law already requires environmental claims to be truthful and substantiated, and the CMA can now fine businesses directly.
Do the rules apply to stock already on sale?
Yes. They apply to claims and labels on products on the shelf from 27th September 2026, not only to new production.
How do digital product passports relate to green claims?
A digital product passport holds verified information about a product, which is exactly the evidence the green claims rules require. Textile requirements are expected to be set in 2027, and toys will need one from 1st August 2030 under the new EU Toy Safety Regulation.
If you would like a second pair of eyes on your environmental claims, or help finding a verified digital product passport provider, get in touch with The Nest. That is exactly what we are here for.
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