Words That Cost
Why EmpCo turns green claims into a business risk
A product page says “sustainable”.
A package says “eco-friendly”.
A campaign says “climate neutral”.
For years, these words helped companies show environmental ambition. They were simple, familiar and easy to use. But from 27 September 2026, they can become a problem.
That is when the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, known as EmpCo, comes into application. Its aim is clear: consumers should no longer be confronted with vague, generic or misleading environmental claims. Companies will need to make sure that what they say about sustainability is specific, understandable and backed by evidence.
This affects companies selling to consumers in the EU. It concerns product communication, packaging, websites, online shops, campaigns, labels, sustainability badges and social media. In practice, it means that many everyday marketing claims will need to be checked before they go public.
The risk is not only that a claim is false. The greater risk is that it is too broad.
“Sustainable” may refer to one improved material, but consumers may understand it as a promise about the whole product. “Climate neutral” may rely on compensation, but consumers may believe the product itself has no climate impact. “Recyclable” may apply only under certain local conditions, but the claim may sound universal.
Under EmpCo, that gap between what a company means and what a consumer understands becomes critical.
The traffic light for green claims
To make the new risk easier to understand, a simple traffic light perspective is used.
“Red lights” are the words that can cost. These include broad or absolute statements such as “green”, “eco-friendly”, “environmentally friendly”, “climate neutral” or “better for the planet”. They sound strong, but often say too little. Without clear proof and scope, they can create misleading expectations.
“Yellow lights” are the words that need explanation. Terms such as “recyclable”, “biodegradable”, “made with recycled content”, “lower impact” or “responsibly sourced” may still be usable. But only if the company can explain exactly what they mean, which part of the product they refer to and what evidence supports them.
“Green lights” are the claims that work better. They are specific, limited and measurable: “The bottle contains 80% recycled PET.” “Packaging weight reduced by 18% compared with our 2023 design.” “Spare parts are available for five years.” These claims are not vague promises. They are concrete information.
This is the shift companies need to understand: sustainability communication is moving from emotional language to evidence-based communication.
Why companies should act now
EmpCo is not a distant legal topic. It is a practical communication challenge for marketing, product, sustainability, compliance, design and management teams. Every team that writes, approves or publishes environmental claims needs a shared understanding of what is still possible and what is no longer safe.
Waiting until the regulation applies is risky. Claims live across many channels. They are copied into retailer systems, translated into different markets, reused in campaigns and stored in product databases. Removing or rewriting them later can be costly.
The better question is: which claims need to change before they become a problem?
Normina EmpCo Compliance Check
At Normina.eu, we offer an EmpCo Product Compliance Check for companies that want to understand their current exposure.
The process starts with an initial assessment of your EmpCo-related activities and environmental claims. We review where your communication may fall into red, yellow or green risk areas and prepare a clear overview of the findings.
After the assessment, we discuss the results with you in a video call. This gives your team a practical understanding of where the main risks are, which claims need attention and what the next steps should be.
EmpCo does not mean companies should stop talking about sustainability.
It means they need to prove it before they promote it.