Environmental claims in your online store: a guide to Directive (EU) 2024/825
Since 27 September 2026, calling a product "eco", "green", "sustainable" or "carbon neutral" is no longer just a marketing message. Directive (EU) 2024/825 of 28 February 2024, known as the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT or EmpCo), adds these claims to the list of commercial practices that are considered unfair in all circumstances. This guide explains what changes, which texts in your online store you should review and how to do it in PrestaShop and Shopify.
What Directive (EU) 2024/825 requires
The directive amends the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC and the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU. Member States had to transpose it by 27 March 2026 and apply its provisions from 27 September 2026. For environmental claims it adds four new bans to the "blacklist" in Annex I and a specific rule for future promises:
- Generic claims (Annex I, point 4a): you may not make a generic environmental claim such as "environmentally friendly", "eco-friendly", "green" or "sustainable" unless you can demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to that claim.
- Sustainability labels (point 2a): you may only display a sustainability label or badge if it is based on a certification scheme or established by public authorities. An "eco" icon designed by the brand itself no longer qualifies.
- Part for the whole (point 4b): you may not present a claim as covering the entire product or the company's entire business when it only concerns one aspect, for example the packaging.
- Carbon offsetting (point 4c): it is banned to claim that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions on the basis of offsetting emissions.
- Future claims (new Article 6(2)(d) of Directive 2005/29/EC): a promise such as "we will be carbon neutral by 2030" is considered misleading unless it comes with clear, objective, publicly available and verifiable commitments set out in a detailed and realistic implementation plan, with measurable, time-bound targets, regularly verified by an independent third-party expert whose findings are made available to consumers.
"Recognised excellent environmental performance" has a precise meaning: the product complies with the EU Ecolabel (Regulation (EC) No 66/2010), an officially recognised EN ISO 14024 type I ecolabel, or top environmental performance under applicable Union law. Without that, the generic word has to go.
What is and isn't a generic claim
The directive treats a claim as generic when it is not on a sustainability label and its specification is not given in clear and prominent terms on the same medium. So "packaging made from 100% recycled cardboard" is not generic: it says exactly what and how much. "Eco product" on its own, however, is. For most stores the answer is not to stay silent but to be specific.
Who it applies to
Any trader selling to consumers in the European Union, whatever its size or platform: PrestaShop stores, Shopify stores or marketplace sellers. Everything the shopper sees counts: product name, descriptions, images with badges, store filters, banners, marketing emails, ads and the product feeds you send to comparison sites. If you sell in several countries, bear in mind each country's national law.
The situation in Spain
As of October 2026, Spain has not published in its Official State Gazette (BOE) any law transposing Directive (EU) 2024/825. The planned instrument is the draft Sustainable Consumption Act, approved at first reading by the Council of Ministers on 1 July 2025, which includes these bans (see its analysis in the CNMC report IPN/CNMC/053/25). On 28 May 2026 the European Commission sent letters of formal notice to 20 Member States, Spain among them, for failing to notify full transposition (infringement package INF/26/1097).
A delayed national law is no reason to wait. Misleading claims are already banned today under unfair competition and consumer law, the content of the directive is final, and it may already be in force in other countries you sell to. The sensible move is to adapt your texts now.
What happened to the Green Claims Directive
In March 2023 the Commission proposed a second law, the proposal for a Green Claims Directive, COM(2023) 166, which would have required explicit claims to be substantiated and verified by a third party before use. In June 2025 the Commission announced its intention to withdraw it and the negotiation meeting planned for 23 June 2025 was cancelled (European Parliament). As of October 2026 it has not been adopted: there is no prior verification requirement. What is in force is Directive (EU) 2024/825, and that is the one you must comply with.
How to review your store step by step
- List the terms. Search your whole catalogue for words such as eco, eco-friendly, green, sustainable, environmentally friendly, natural, biodegradable, carbon neutral, CO2 neutral, offset, climate neutral or "planet friendly".
- Classify each case. Is it generic? Is there a badge? Does it refer to the whole product or a part? Does it rely on offsetting? Is it a future promise?
- Be specific or remove it. Replace the generic word with the real, verifiable fact, or delete it.
- Check your badges. Keep only those from certification schemes or public authorities, and keep the valid certificate on file.
- Keep the evidence. Technical sheets, certificates and calculations backing each statement, in case you are asked for them.
In PrestaShop
- Products (Catalog > Products): name, summary, description, meta title and meta description in every language. To find texts, export the catalogue or search the
product_langtable directly. - Features and filters (Catalog > Attributes & Features): a feature such as "Eco: Yes" feeds the faceted search module's filters. Change it to a specific fact, such as "Material: certified organic cotton".
- Categories and CMS pages: a category called "Sustainable products" is also a claim.
- Banners and blocks: the image slider, custom text blocks and images with embedded "eco" icons.
- Emails and feeds: marketing templates and the titles you send to comparison sites.
In Shopify
- Products: title, description, SEO title and description, and image alt text. The product CSV export lets you review the Body (HTML) field for the whole catalogue at once.
- Tags and metafields: if you filter with tags like "eco" or a "sustainable" metafield through the Search & Discovery app, the filter name is visible in the store and counts as a claim.
- Collections: name and description of collections such as "Sustainable fashion".
- Theme: banners, announcement bars, icon sections listing benefits and the footer, from the theme editor in every language.
- Emails, blog and ads: Shopify Email campaigns and blog posts linking to products.
If you use Shopify, our free "Is your Shopify store EU compliant?" checker detects these terms in your store and shows you where they appear.
Examples: avoid vs. better
| Avoid | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eco T-shirt | T-shirt made of certified organic cotton (name of the certification) | States what and under which certification scheme |
| Environmentally friendly product | Made with 70% recycled plastic | Replaces the generic claim with a verifiable fact |
| Carbon neutral shipping | We offset shipping emissions through (project); shipping still generates emissions | Neutrality based on offsetting cannot be claimed |
| Sustainable trainers | Sole made with 30% recycled rubber | The claim only concerns one part of the product |
| Green packaging | Box made from 100% recycled cardboard, recyclable with paper | States the material and how to recycle it |
| Carbon neutral by 2030 | Reduction plan with annual targets, published and reviewed by an independent expert | Future promises need a plan and verification |
| Self-designed "Green choice" badge | EU Ecolabel or another certified label | Only certified or public labels are allowed |
| "Green products" filter | "Recycled material" or "EU Ecolabel" filter | The filter name is also a claim |
Common mistakes
- Reviewing the description but forgetting the SEO title, alt text or filter name.
- Fixing the English and leaving "écologique" or "umweltfreundlich" in the translations.
- Keeping "eco" icons inside product or banner images, which don't show up in a text search.
- Assuming a claim is fine because the manufacturer makes it: if you publish it, you are responsible.
- Confusing offsetting with reducing: offsetting does not let you say the product is neutral.
Directive (EU) 2024/825 also brings changes to legal guarantee information. We explain them in our EU legal guarantee guide, and to display the notice in your store there is the Shopify app and the PrestaShop module. You can find more resources among our free tools.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use the word "eco-friendly"?
Only if, on the same medium and clearly, you state exactly what is environmentally friendly, or if the product demonstrates recognised excellent environmental performance. For food and other agricultural products, "organic" and "bio" are also regulated terms that require the relevant certification.
What about "carbon neutral" if I offset emissions?
You cannot say a product is neutral, reduced or positive in emissions because you have offset. You may truthfully say that you support an offsetting project, without presenting it as an effect of the product.
Does it apply if my store is small?
Yes. The directive does not exempt small businesses from these bans: it covers every trader dealing with consumers in the European Union.
Does it apply in Spain if there is no law yet?
Misleading claims are already banned under current Spanish law, and the directive sets how they will be interpreted. Also, if you sell to other EU countries, it may already be in force there.
Is the Green Claims Directive still mandatory?
It was never adopted. As of October 2026 it remains a stalled proposal, so the rule you must follow is Directive (EU) 2024/825.
This guide is for information only and is not a substitute for legal advice.