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The European Commission adopted Directive (EU) 2024/825 in February 2024 to amend the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Consumer Rights Directive with the aim of better protecting consumers during the shift to a greener economy. The legislation prohibits sustainability labels unless they rely on an established certification scheme or are issued by a public authority, according to the text published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Businesses will also face restrictions on generic environmental assertions such as environmentally friendly or sustainable that cannot be proven with recognised and verifiable evidence of excellent performance across the full product lifecycle. The directive further bars claims that focus on one aspect of a product while implying benefits for the entire item.
Member states must transpose the directive into national law by 27 March 2026, with full application beginning on 27 September 2026, the European Commission reported on its sustainable consumption portal. This timeline follows the directive’s entry into force in late March 2024 and publication on 6 March 2024 in the Official Journal. The Commission has issued frequently asked questions in English, French and German to promote uniform application across the 27 member states and to clarify obligations for traders.
A European Commission assessment that fed into the proposal found that many environmental claims in the EU lacked adequate substantiation or relied on vague terminology, prompting the legislative update as part of the 2020 New Consumer Agenda and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The directive evaluates commercial practices from the perspective of the reasonably well-informed, observant and circumspect average consumer, a standard the Commission noted has become more demanding given rising sustainability awareness. This approach aligns the rules with the broader European Green Deal objective of climate neutrality by 2050 and supports informed consumer choices that drive market demand for genuinely sustainable goods.
Traders must supply information at the point of sale on the durability and reparability of products together with details on the legal guarantee, the directive states. Future environmental performance claims will require a clear, verifiable plan with defined milestones and cannot be presented without such commitments. The rules also address early obsolescence practices by strengthening consumer protections against designs that limit product lifespan.
The Commission has highlighted that the directive will affect sectors with high volumes of environmental marketing, including textiles, electronics and consumer packaged goods, where product information must now meet the new verification thresholds. Non-compliance can trigger enforcement under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, with some member states applying penalties reaching 4 percent of annual turnover for repeated violations, according to legal analyses of the framework. Companies have been advised to audit existing claims, labels and trademarks to ensure alignment before the September 2026 deadline.
The Empowering Consumers Directive complements a separate proposal on green claims that would impose further substantiation requirements using scientific methods, although that measure remains under discussion, the European Commission environment department reported. Implementation will be reviewed by the Commission in 2031 to assess effectiveness in reducing misleading practices and supporting the green transition. Data from the Commission indicates that clearer rules on reparability and durability can extend product lifespans and reduce waste, contributing to resource efficiency targets across the bloc.
