🍃 EmpCo is on its way and will become a key issue for many brands.
From 27 September 2026, stricter rules will apply to environmental claims and sustainability communications.
What may initially sound like a compliance issue will very quickly become relevant for adverts, landing pages, websites, creative content and product communications.
Because in future, things will be scrutinised more closely:
👉 ‘Green’, ‘eco’ or ‘environmentally friendly’?
General environmental claims cannot simply stand on their own. They must be clearly specified and backed up by verifiable evidence.
👉 Your own sustainability badges?
Regulations are becoming stricter here too: in future, sustainability labels must either originate from government bodies or be based on a third-party certification system. Simply adding your own ‘Green Choice’ badge to your creative will therefore become problematic.
👉 If one part is sustainable, is the whole product sustainable?
It won’t be that simple in future. If, for example, an environmental benefit relates only to the packaging, this must not give the impression that the entire product is particularly environmentally friendly.
👉 “We’ll be carbon neutral by 2030.”
Statements about future environmental performance must also be transparent and verifiable. An ambitious statement on the landing page alone is therefore not enough.
👉 “30% more sustainable than …”
Anyone comparing environmental performance must do so objectively – using a standardised method and verifiable assumptions.
⚠️ And what happens in the event of breaches?
In Germany, the new requirements will be enforced through competition law. This means that warnings, injunctions and claims for damages, amongst other things, may become relevant. In the case of certain widespread breaches, fines may also be imposed – in some instances, up to 4 per cent of annual turnover in the relevant EU Member States.
For some brands, this will mean carrying out a thorough review of their existing communications in the coming months:
What claims appear in adverts? Which seals of approval feature in creative content? What statements can be found on landing pages, websites, in content or on product pages? And can we actually substantiate them?
For us as an online marketing agency, this is definitely an issue that we will be giving greater consideration to in future – not only in campaigns and creative work, but also across all our digital communications.
Are you unsure whether your communications are affected by the new EmpCo regulations, or which claims you’ll still be able to use in future? Please feel free to get in touch with us. 🍃
