Last updated: 22 September 2026
The EU green claims rules that apply on 27 September 2026 come from Directive (EU) 2024/825, often called the Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo, or ECGT in Commission documents). They add new practices to the EU blacklist of commercial practices that are unfair in all circumstances, so there is no case-by-case test. For a Shopify store, most of the work sits in product data, theme blocks and apps. A 2020 European Commission study found that 53% of environmental claims gave vague, misleading or unfounded information, which is the problem these rules target.
This article is guidance for shop owners, with Dutch specifics. For a claim you are unsure about, ask a lawyer.
What changes on 27 September 2026?
Four new points on the blacklist deal with environmental claims:
- Unofficial sustainability labels. Displaying a sustainability label that is not based on a certification scheme or not established by public authorities. A certification scheme means third-party verification, open to all traders, with independent monitoring.
- Generic environmental claims. Making a generic environmental claim when you cannot demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim.
- Whole-product claims for one part. Making an environmental claim about the entire product or your entire business when it concerns only one aspect, such as the packaging.
- Offset-based climate claims. Claiming, based on the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions, that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact in terms of emissions.
"Recognised excellent environmental performance" has a narrow meaning. It covers the EU Ecolabel, national or regional EN ISO 14024 type I ecolabels that are officially recognised in a Member State, and top environmental performance under other EU law. The Commission's Q&A on the directive names the Nordic Swan, the Blue Angel, the Austrian Ecolabel and the Dutch Milieukeur as examples.
A claim is generic when you do not specify it in clear and prominent terms on the same medium. The directive's recitals give examples: "environmentally friendly", "eco-friendly", "green", "ecological", "climate friendly", "energy efficient", "biodegradable" and "biobased". "Mailer box made from 100% recycled cardboard" is specific. Specific claims stay allowed, as long as they are true and you can prove them.
A fifth new blacklist point matters for product copy too. You may not present something the law requires for all products in that category as a special feature of your offer.
Claims about the future, such as "net zero by 2030", count as misleading unless you have a detailed and realistic implementation plan with measurable, time-bound targets, verified regularly by an independent third-party expert whose findings are available to consumers.
Is this the EU Green Claims Directive?
No. You will also see the rules called EmpCo or ECGT. The Green Claims Directive is a separate proposal from 2023. The European Commission announced in June 2025 that it intended to withdraw it, and it has not been adopted. Many articles use "green claims directive" for the rules above. The rules that apply on 27 September are the ones in Directive 2024/825.
Can I still use "eco-friendly", "sustainable" or "biodegradable"?
| Claim on your store now | Allowed from 27 September? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Eco-friendly", "green", "climate friendly" or "biodegradable" on its own | Only with recognised excellent environmental performance, such as the EU Ecolabel or a recognised ISO 14024 label | Replace it with the specific fact, for example the material and its share |
| "Sustainable", "responsible" or "conscious" on its own | No. The directive says an ecolabel alone cannot support these words, because they also suggest social qualities | Say what you mean on the same page, for example "made from 70% recycled cotton" |
| "Carbon-neutral shipping" or "climate neutral order" badge | No, when it relies on offsetting outside the product's value chain | Remove the badge. Describe any project funding factually, without a neutrality claim |
| Your own leaf icon with "Planet approved" | No, it is not a certification scheme or a public label | Remove it from the theme, product images and packaging artwork |
| "Sustainable sneaker" when only the laces are recycled | No, the claim covers the whole product | Name the part: "laces made from recycled polyester" |
| "Free from" a substance that EU law already bans in that product type | No, a legal requirement is not a distinctive feature | Remove it |
| "Net zero by 2030" | Only with a detailed plan and independent verification | Remove it unless you have both |
| EU Ecolabel logo on a certified product | Yes | Keep it, and link to the certificate |
Names count too. The Commission's Q&A on the directive says terms such as "green", "eco" or "natural" in a brand or product name can be an environmental claim when the average consumer links them to the environment. We read collection names such as "Eco collection" the same way.
Is Shopify Planet's carbon-neutral shipping still allowed?
Treat it as a claim to remove for EU customers. Shopify describes Planet as a way to make shipments carbon neutral by funding companies that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Commission's Q&A says climate claims must be based on the actual lifecycle impact of the product, and not on offsetting emissions outside the product's value chain. It lists "climate neutral", "CO2 neutral certified" and "climate compensated" among the claims the ban covers. Planet adds its badge as a block or section in the theme editor, so remove those blocks from every template where you placed them. Planet also has a checkout extension that asks customers to add a small amount to make their shipment carbon neutral. Remove that block in the checkout editor too.
You can still tell customers you fund carbon removal projects. The Commission's Q&A says the ban "should not prevent companies from advertising their investments in environmental initiatives, including carbon credit projects, as long as they provide such information in a way that is not misleading". State it as a fact about your spending, and keep any suggestion that the product or delivery has a neutral impact out of the wording.
How do I check my Shopify store for green claims?
Product search in Shopify admin only matches titles, descriptions and tags. Alt text, SEO fields and metafields need an export.
- Go to Products, click Export, choose All products and the CSV file for a spreadsheet program. Open the file and search the Description, Image alt text, SEO title, SEO description and metafield columns for eco, green, sustainable, duurzaam, groen, milieuvriendelijk, klimaat, neutral, biodegradable, afbreekbaar and CO2.
- Go to Products > Collections and check collection titles and descriptions.
- Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize. Click through the home page, a product page, the cart and the footer. Look for badges, icon rows, Planet blocks and banners with environmental wording.
- In Online Store > Themes, click the menu icon next to your theme and choose Edit default theme content. Use the Filter items search for the same words.
- Go to Content > Metaobjects if your theme uses them for badges or feature lists.
- Go to Settings > Checkout and open the checkout editor from the Configurations section. Remove the Shopify Planet block and any other app block with climate wording.
- Go to Settings > Apps. Open each carbon-offset, "green shipping" or badge app and switch off any neutrality badge or checkout message.
- Check Online Store > Pages, Content > Blog posts and Content > Menus, especially your About page and any "Sustainability" menu item.
- Put every claim in one list with where it is, what it says and what proof you have. Rewrite or remove anything without proof.
Then repeat the search outside Shopify: active ads, email templates, marketplace listings and product photos that show packaging text. When you rewrite, the approach from our guide to product descriptions that sell fits here too. A specific fact beats an adjective.
What about packaging and stock I already have?
There is no formal grace period. The Commission's Q&A states that the directive "does not provide for a transition period beyond" 27 September 2026. In June 2026 the EU network of consumer authorities (CPC) agreed a common understanding on old stock, and the ACM published a Dutch note on it on 1 July 2026. Old stock means products or packaging with claims or labels that were manufactured, ordered, distributed or placed on shelves before 27 September 2026. Authorities may take it into account when you have demonstrable old stock and make demonstrable efforts to comply as fast as you can.
The CPC document lists the efforts it expects:
- Remove or correct claims online.
- Update advertising and promotional material.
- Use stickers, remove labels or apply similar corrections on packaging where appropriate.
- Show corrective information at the point of sale, including in your online store.
Keep records of the steps you took and when you took them. Website text is different from a printed box. You can edit it today, so leave none of it in place.
Who enforces the rules in the Netherlands?
The ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt). The Dutch law is the Implementatiewet richtlijn betere duurzaamheidsinformatie voor consumenten of 27 May 2026, published in Staatsblad 2026, 152. It adds the new blacklist points to article 6:193g of the Dutch Civil Code. A royal decree of 9 July 2026, published in Staatsblad 2026, 204, brought the law into force. The government's business portal Ondernemersplein states that the stricter rules apply, and regulators can enforce them, from 27 September 2026.
Selling to customers in other EU countries? On 28 May 2026 the Commission opened infringement procedures against 20 Member States, the Netherlands among them, for not yet transposing the directive in full. Some national laws may arrive later. The directive sets the same blacklist for every Member State, so write your claims to that standard for all EU customers.
The ACM's guidelines on sustainability claims date from 2023, before the directive applied, and the ACM marks the page as possibly outdated. Use them for general principles and follow the directive where the two differ. If you sell from the Netherlands, this sits next to other EU rules for webshops, such as the ones in our post on EU AI Act rules for webshops.
Setting up a new Dutch store? Add this check to the launch steps in our guide to starting a Shopify store in the Netherlands, so no vague claim goes live on day one.
Frequently asked questions
Is the EU Green Claims Directive in force?
No. It is a 2023 proposal that the Commission said in June 2025 it intended to withdraw. The rules that apply from 27 September 2026 come from Directive 2024/825.
Can I still say my product is sustainable?
Only with a clear specification on the same page, such as "made from 70% recycled cotton", that you can prove. The word on its own is banned, even if the product carries an ecolabel.
Can I keep the Shopify Planet carbon-neutral shipping badge?
Remove it for EU customers. The Commission says neutrality claims based on offsetting outside the product's value chain are banned. You can still state factually that you fund carbon removal projects.
Can I still sell stock with old green claims on the packaging after 27 September?
There is no transition period. EU consumer authorities may take demonstrable old stock into account if you correct what you can, for example with stickers or corrective information at the point of sale, and keep records of the steps you took. Online claims should be fixed now.
Do these rules apply to a small webshop?
Yes. The blacklist applies to every business that sells to consumers in the EU. There is no exemption for small businesses.
The short version
From 27 September 2026, vague green words without a recognised ecolabel, a bare "sustainable", offset-based "carbon neutral" badges, homemade eco labels and whole-product claims for one part are banned across the EU, and the ACM enforces this in the Netherlands. Export your products, search your theme and apps, then replace each vague claim with a specific fact you can prove, or remove it. If a second pair of eyes on your product pages would help, you can start a conversation with us.
This article was drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources linked above before publishing.