Is “Climate neutral” still allowed under EU law?
Not on its own. Under the EmpCo Directive this is a generic environmental claim, prohibited unless you can demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance.
How common is it?
We found this term in a flagged claim on 14 of the 680 websites we have scanned — 2.1%.
- sites affected
- 14
- times flagged
- 29
- flagged at highest severity
- 13
Why it is a problem
Synonym for carbon neutral — explicitly covered by the Directive's ban on offset-based neutrality claims.
What to write instead
State the measured emissions and reduction trajectory, e.g. "Lifecycle emissions: 3.8 kg CO2e. On track to halve by 2030 (targets SBTi-approved)."
The legal basis
Directive (EU) 2024/825 — the Empowering Consumers Directive — adds environmental claims to the Annex I blacklist of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. It applies across the EU from 27 September 2026, with no transition period. Penalties reach 4% of annual turnover in the member state concerned.
Check whether your own site uses this term
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Figures come from EcoClaim's own scan corpus, last updated 2026-08-22. It is a self-selected sample — sites run through our public checker, not a random sample of EU commerce.