{"id":11406,"date":"2026-07-01T22:42:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empact.nu\/the-empower-consumer-act-empco-stricter-rules-for-sustainability-claims-to-combat-greenwashing\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T22:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:42:36","slug":"the-empower-consumer-act-empco-stricter-rules-for-sustainability-claims-to-combat-greenwashing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empact.nu\/en\/insights\/the-empower-consumer-act-empco-stricter-rules-for-sustainability-claims-to-combat-greenwashing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Empower Consumer Act (EmpCo): Stricter Rules for Sustainability Claims to Combat Greenwashing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Starting September 27, 2026, stricter rules for sustainability claims will apply in the Netherlands. Terms such as \u201csustainable,\u201d \u201cgreen,\u201d and \u201cenvironmentally friendly\u201d may then only appear on packaging or in advertisements if a company can substantiate them in a concrete and verifiable manner. The rules stem from a European directive often referred to as the Empower Consumer Act, officially known as the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo or ECGT, Directive (EU) 2024\/825<\/a>). In this article, we explain what is changing, which claims are prohibited, and how enforcement works, with recent Dutch examples of companies that made mistakes and organizations that demonstrate how it should be done. <\/p>\n\n

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What is greenwashing?<\/h2>\n\n

Greenwashing is the practice of misleading consumers by portraying a product, service, or organization as greener than it actually is<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t have to be intentional: a vague term on the packaging or a made-up logo is enough. The problem is twofold. Greenwashing erodes consumer trust, causing them to become skeptical of all green claims, and it harms companies that do genuinely invest in cleaner production. An international review by regulatory agencies revealed that more than four in ten of the green claims examined were vague, exaggerated, or misleading. <\/p>\n\n

What changes will the Empower Consumer Act bring?<\/h2>\n\n

The EmpCo Directive is not a standalone law, but amends two existing European directives: the one on unfair commercial practices (2005\/29\/EC) and the one on consumer rights (2011\/83\/EU). The Netherlands incorporates the rules into Book 6 of the Civil Code; the bill was passed by the Senate in May 2026 and takes effect on September 27, 2026. The key feature is the chosen approach: the rules do not intervene through legislation on labeling or products, but rather through consumer law. As soon as a claim can influence a consumer\u2019s purchasing decision, a prohibited claim is legally equivalent to deception. The question, therefore, is not whether a claim sounds appealing, but whether you can prove it\u2014including to a regulatory authority. <\/p>\n\n

The rules apply to anyone who sells to consumers, from online stores and retailers to companies that incorporate sustainability into their marketing; only the very smallest businesses are exempt from certain obligations. This date is separate from the Green Claims Directive, a supplementary directive that would have prescribed how claims must be verified in advance, but which has been temporarily suspended since June 2025. In practice, EmpCo is now the primary focus. <\/p>\n\n

A List of Prohibited Claims<\/h2>\n\n

The core of the law is an expansion of the list of commercial practices that are always considered misleading:<\/p>\n\n