{"id":10471,"date":"2025-11-24T00:58:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T05:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=10471"},"modified":"2025-11-24T00:58:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T05:58:27","slug":"eu-greenwashing-law-faces-uncertain-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=10471","title":{"rendered":"EU greenwashing law faces uncertain future"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Meanwhile, the Empowering Consumers Directive is being rolled out, so stricter green claims rules are advancing despite uncertainty over the broader greenwashing law. \/ Credit: petrmalinak via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The European Union\u2019s plan to introduce strict rules requiring companies to substantiate environmental claims\u2014the so-called EU greenwashing law\u2014now stands in flux.<\/p>\n

While the revised draft of the Green Claims Directive (GCD) is still alive, progress is stalled and its future will depend on a key change: excluding micro-enterprises from the law\u2019s scope.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, the separate Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT) has been adopted and is moving towards national implementation, meaning businesses in the packaging and consumer goods sectors must still prepare for new obligations around green claims.<\/p>\n

Proposed directive under review as micro-enterprise exemption becomes deal-breaker<\/h2>\n

The GCD was originally proposed in March 2023 with the aim of ensuring that companies selling products or services in the EU can only use environmental claims if those claims are backed by recognised scientific methods and verified by independent bodies.<\/p>\n

The proposal covers claims like \u201cmade from recycled materials\u201d, \u201cclimate neutral\u201d or \u201clower emissions\u201d, and also seeks to bring tighter controls on eco-labels.<\/p>\n

However, negotiations stalled in June 2025 when the European Commission (EC) signalled it would withdraw the proposal if micro-enterprises were included within its scope \u2014 that is, companies with fewer than 10 employees and under \u20ac2 million in annual revenue.<\/p>\n

On 1 July the Commission clarified that the GCD had not<\/em> been withdrawn, but progress depends precisely on this exemption.<\/p>\n

Because micro-enterprises, plus small enterprises, account for around 98 % of all companies in the EU, their inclusion or exclusion is a major pivot point in the law\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

At this time, the GCD remains paused: the Council and Parliament have yet to reach agreement, and the proposed timeline suggests finalisation may now slip into 2026, with full application possibly in 2027 or 2028.<\/p>\n

Broader anti-greenwashing rules press ahead despite pause<\/h2>\n

While the GCD is in limbo, the ECGT Directive has been adopted and binds EU member states to transpose it into national law by September 27, 2026.<\/p>\n

The ECGT (which amends the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive) brings several new requirements: banning generic environmental claims like \u201ceco\u201d or \u201cgreen\u201d unless excellent environmental performance is demonstrably certified; prohibiting claims of climate neutrality based solely on offsetting; forbidding un-certified sustainability labels; mandating durability and reparability information at point of sale; and setting tighter standards for claims about future environmental performance.<\/p>\n

National authorities across the EU are already taking enforcement action under the current framework, including investigations of companies for unsubstantiated \u201cgreen\u201d messaging.<\/p>\n

For packaging manufacturers and brand owners operating in the EU market, this means that even in the absence of the GCD, green claims scrutiny remains real and rising.<\/p>\n

What this means for businesses in the global packaging value chain<\/h2>\n

For companies in the packaging sector\u2014material suppliers, converters, brand owners selling goods in the EU\u2014the current regulatory mix brings both risk and clarity:<\/p>\n