Is “More sustainable” 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 71 of the 680 websites we have scanned — 10.4%.
- sites affected
- 71
- times flagged
- 133
- flagged at highest severity
- 40
Why it is a problem
Must specify what is being compared, using what methodology, and covering which environmental aspects. Otherwise it is a prohibited generic claim.
What to write instead
Quantify the difference, e.g. "Uses 45% less water in production than our previous model (same factory, same methodology, 2024 vs 2022 data)."
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.