{
  "id": 4868649,
  "title": "Schokolade: Darum muss Ritter Sport Verpackungen überkleben",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/schokolade-darum-muss-ritter-sport-verpackungen-uberkleben",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-01T13:45:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/handel-konsumgueter/schokolade-darum-muss-ritter-sport-verpackungen-ueberkleben/100251230.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Ritter Sport, a chocolate manufacturer located in Waldenbuch, has been sticking stickers on its chocolate bars for several months to comply with an EU directive. The stickers cover a claim that Ritter Sport has been advertising for years: \"100% certified sustainable cocoa coating.\" A spokesperson from the family-owned company explained that the stickers were placed to meet the requirements of the EmpCo directive of the EU, which comes into effect at the end of September. The directive aims to prevent \"greenwashing\" by requiring detailed evidence for vague terms like \"eco-friendly\" or \"sustainable.\" The spokesperson could not disclose how many packages would need to be re-stickered, but noted that the relaunch of the packaging with the new film is ongoing. The new primary films will display the statement \"without added aromas\" on the front and the certification of 100% certified cocoa coating on the back, along with the necessary indications. Ritter Sport emphasized that they wanted to avoid destroying films and believed in measures that promote transparency and clarity for consumers through substantiated and specific statements with verifiability. However, the spokesperson acknowledged that the remaining legal uncertainty in the implementation or interpretation of the directive in various European countries presented a challenge. In April, Ritter Sport announced that more than one in ten places had been lost since the previous year due to increased raw material prices, particularly for cocoa, as well as energy and packaging prices. Additionally, there has been noticeable consumer restraint in purchasing.",
  "summary": "Wegen neuer EU-Vorgaben muss Ritter Sport alte Verpackungen mit Stickern überkleben. Was sich für Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher jetzt auf den Tafeln ändert.",
  "key_points": [
    "Ritter Sport applies stickers to chocolate bars to comply with EU directive.",
    "EmpCo directive aims to prevent greenwashing by requiring evidence for terms like sustainable.",
    "New packaging displays \"without added aromas\" and certification of 100% certified cocoa coating."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}