LATEST UPDATE | The Green Claims Directive, originally expected to move forward in 2025, is now stalled. The European Commission has warned that it might drop the proposal altogether unless microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees or under €2 million in revenue) are excluded. While it hasn’t been formally withdrawn, final negotiations are paused.
What hasn’t slowed down is the demand for credible environmental claims.Consumers continue to expect transparency, and many are willing to pay for it. According to the EU Commission’s 2020 Key Consumer Data, 67% of shoppers say they prefer environmentally friendly products, even if they cost more. That growing interest is already influencing how companies communicate about sustainability.
The Green Claims Directive is a proposed EU law aimed at curbing misleading environmental claims made by companies. It focuses on voluntary, business-to-consumer statements like "climate neutral," "eco-friendly," or "green" and outlines how these claims must be substantiated, communicated, and verified.
The goal is to reduce greenwashing by requiring companies to back up environmental claims with clear, science-based data that’s publicly accessible. This follows findings that over half of environmental claims made in the EU were vague or misleading, and 40% were not backed by any evidence at all.
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Any environmental claim needs to be backed by scientific, product-level evidence. That means calculating the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) using recognized standards like ISO 14067, the GHG Protocol, or Bilan Carbone.
If you're comparing one product to another, for example, claiming it has “30% lower emissions” , the data behind each claim must be calculated using the same scope, methodology, and assumptions.
Environmental claims must be specific, measurable, and supported by data the public can access. Generic terms like “carbon neutral” or “eco-friendly” aren’t enough on their own.
Under France’s Climate and Resilience Law, for example, claims now need to be specific, time-bound, and science-aligned. Instead of saying a product is “net zero,” the language should resemble this:
Our organization is committed to collective carbon neutrality with a target of reducing direct carbon emissions by X% by 2025 and Y% by 2030 compared to year n. These targets are consistent with the science and global goal of limiting temperature increase to +1.5°C.
The proposed directive also puts limits on aggregated environmental labels especially those developed outside the EU. These can be misleading if the scoring methods aren't transparent or consistent. Only schemes based on EU rules, like Eco-Score, are likely to be allowed.
You’ll also need to make your supporting data easy to access, through a QR code, hyperlink, or similar tool.
The proposal requires environmental claims to be independently audited. That includes reviewing how data is collected, how emissions are calculated, and whether claims are presented accurately. Even if the Directive doesn’t pass, independent verification remains a strong signal of credibility.
The Green Claims Directive may not have entered into force yet but a lot of preparation must go into laying the groundwork, especially for companies looking to communicate product sustainability claims. Here are three practical steps to help you make reliable claims and avoid greenwashing risks:
Start by identifying the areas where your business can make a measurable difference. In the agri-food sector, that might mean reducing Scope 3 emissions by working with suppliers, switching to lower-impact ingredients, or reformulating recipes with environmental impact in mind.
Then translate those priorities into clear, science-aligned targets. If you're targeting GHG reductions, submitting goals to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) helps validate your approach and adds credibility. These targets should be time-bound, measurable, and based on data you can track and report on over time.
To make credible claims, you need reliable data, and that starts with using the right tools to measure your product’s footprint.
Product carbon footprint software and LCA software help you calculate the emissions linked to each step of a product’s lifecycle, from raw materials and processing to transport and distribution. They follow consistent rules for what to include and how to calculate it, based on widely accepted standards like ISO 14067, the GHG Protocol, or Bilan Carbone. This makes your results easier to compare, verify, and communicate.
Tools like Carbon Maps automate these calculations and generate reports that align with Green Claims requirements.
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Once a claim is made, it needs to be maintained. That means updating it as new data becomes available or targets change. In France, this is already required under the Climate and Resilience Law.
The Green Claims Directive also calls for regularly reviewed, publicly accessible information, especially when claims involve carbon offsets. Be clear about what’s been reduced directly, and what’s been offset.
Aside from the demand for more sustainable products trending up, industry leaders are forging ahead with or without regulations.
One such example is that of Scamark, the private label arm of E. Leclerc, France’s largest grocery retailer. They have recently launched Carbon’Info, a proprietary sustainability label developed with Carbon Maps, to communicate the product carbon footprint of each one of their 6,000 private label products. Each score is auditable and follows the GHG Protocol Product Standard and ISO 14067.
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