Green Claims Audit EU Dir. 2024/825
Empowering Consumers Directive · applies 27 Sep 2026

Which of your green claims become illegal this September?

Paste your marketing and packaging copy. Get back every environmental claim that the EU's new rules ban or require you to prove from 27 September 2026 — the exact rule each one breaks, and what to say instead. Even the leaf on your label can count.

Free single-claim check

Is one of your claims still legal?

Type a phrase from your packaging or marketing. This is a screening against the directive's blacklist — not legal advice.

What the directive bans

The blacklist that catches most brands.

Directive (EU) 2024/825 amends EU consumer law with a hard list of banned commercial practices. These are the ones that catch consumer brands — enforced nationally, with fines up to 4% of annual turnover for serious breaches.

Generic claims

"Eco-friendly", "green", "natural"

Generic environmental claims are banned unless you can show recognised excellent performance — e.g. the EU Ecolabel or an ISO 14024 Type I scheme. Vague virtue words without proof are out.

Offsets

"Carbon neutral" from credits

Neutrality claims based on buying offsets are banned outright — no quality of credit cures it. Only genuine, evidenced emissions reductions can be claimed.

Self-made labels

Your own "eco" badge

In-house sustainability labels ("Ocean Friendly", "Plastic Saver") are banned unless they come from an official or accredited certification scheme.

Brand & visuals

The leaf logo counts

Per the Commission's FAQ, brand names, product names and visual identity — a leaf motif, a green palette — can themselves be environmental claims that need substantiation.

Half-truths

Part presented as whole

A claim true of one part of your business or a legal minimum dressed up as a voluntary achievement — both banned. Scope has to match reality.

Old stock

No exemption for shelves

The rules apply from 27 September to products already made, distributed or on shelves. Corrective stickers, shelf notices and website updates are the accepted fixes — which puts existing inventory in scope now.

"Isn't this the Green Claims Directive?" No — that's a separate, later proposal that was withdrawn. This one (the Empowering Consumers Directive / ECGT, 2024/825) is already law and applies from 27 September 2026. The report covers what actually applies to you now.
How it works

Paste, screen, fix.

1

Paste your copy

Marketing lines, packaging text, claim list — whatever carries an environmental message. Tell us your markets and any certifications you hold. No account.

2

We screen every claim

Each claim is matched against the directive's blacklist and the Commission's guidance — with the specific rule it breaks, never a vibe.

3

Get the verdict + the fix

A claim-by-claim PDF: banned, banned-unless-certified, needs-substantiation or fine-as-written — each with a compliant rewrite and the evidence it would need.

Audit my claims

Paste your claims

The report screens exactly what you paste. The more real copy, the more useful it is.

€99one payment · PDFDir. (EU) 2024/825

Paste your marketing lines, packaging copy, or a list of claims — one per line is ideal.

Certifications you hold

These decide whether a generic claim can be substantiated.

Any offset / neutrality claims?

"Carbon neutral", "CO2 compensated", etc.

Any future-dated targets?

"Net zero by 2030", forward-looking pledges.

Main markets (optional)

For the member-state transposition note. Leave blank for EU-wide.

A screening of your claims against Directive (EU) 2024/825 and the Commission's non-binding FAQ — not legal advice. Only the CJEU can interpret the directive with binding force. Secure checkout via Stripe.

Questions

What you're buying

Is this legal advice?

No. It's a structured screening of your claims against the directive's blacklist and the European Commission's (non-binding) guidance, with each flagged claim traced to the specific rule. Only the CJEU can interpret the directive with binding force. Anything the report flags as banned should go to counsel before you spend money relabelling — the report is the fast, cited starting point.

Is "carbon neutral" really illegal now?

From 27 September 2026, neutrality claims based on carbon offsetting are on the banned list — regardless of the quality of the credits. A claim built on genuine, evidenced emissions reductions is different. The report separates the two and flags any offset-based claim you've pasted.

Do brand names and logos count?

Per the Commission's FAQ, yes — a brand name, product name or visual identity (a leaf, a green palette) can itself be an environmental claim that requires substantiation. The report prompts you to check your labels and imagery, not just your sentences.

What about stock already on shelves?

There's no old-stock exemption — the rules apply to products already manufactured and distributed. The accepted fixes are corrective stickers, shelf notices and website updates; the report includes an old-stock action plan.

Wasn't the Green Claims Directive scrapped?

That's a different, later proposal that was withdrawn. This one — the Empowering Consumers Directive (2024/825) — is already law and applies from 27 September 2026. The report covers what actually applies.