Umweltversprechen: Klimaneutral und nachhaltig? Diese Werbung ist nun verboten

Starting from September 27, 2026, new legal rules will govern advertising that includes environmental terms such as "climate-neutral," "eco-friendly," or "sustainable," according to the Verbraucherzentrale Sachsen (Consumer Center Saxony). These rules stem from the EU's EmpCo directive, which aims to empower consumers in the transition to a greener future.

This means that companies must provide more concrete evidence to support any environmental claims made about their products. General terms like "green" or "eco-friendly" are only permissible if substantial environmental benefits can be demonstrated. The advertised environmental benefit must be clearly identified and justified. Certain advertising strategies will also be explicitly prohibited, including using sustainability seals without a recognized certification system or government backing, making environmental claims about a product or company when the benefit applies only to part of it, making product-specific claims like "climate-neutral" or "CO2-neutral" when the claimed climate impact is only achieved through offsetting emissions, and promising future environmental improvements without a concrete, traceable, and verifiable implementation plan.

While these new rules won't automatically certify environmental advertising as trustworthy, the Verbraucherzentrale Sachsen advises consumers to remain vigilant. They should scrutinize the basis of the advertised environmental benefit—whether it applies to the entire product or just a component, how the benefit is achieved, and if there are concrete and understandable details.