EmpCo vs ECGT vs Green Claims Directive: What Actually Applies in 2026?
If you have been searching for EU greenwashing compliance information in 2026, you have probably encountered three different names — EmpCo, ECGT, and the Green Claims Directive — and felt confused. This guide settles it in 90 seconds, with a comparison table and a clear answer to: which law actually applies to your e-commerce store right now?
EmpCo = ECGT = the same active law (EU Directive 2024/825). It enforces from September 27, 2026 with fines up to 4% of annual turnover. The separate Green Claims Directive (COM/2023/166) was a different proposal that the European Commission withdrew in June 2025. You must comply with EmpCo / ECGT — no exceptions.
Why There Are Three Names for One Law
In 2023 the EU launched two parallel anti-greenwashing initiatives. The first — formally titled 'Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition' — was adopted as Directive 2024/825 in March 2024 and got nicknamed both 'EmpCo' (used by sustainability and legal professionals) and 'ECGT' (used by tech vendors and regulators). Both names refer to the same binding law. The second initiative, the standalone Green Claims Directive proposal (COM/2023/166), would have required pre-verification of every environmental claim before publication. It ran into political headwinds and was officially withdrawn by the European Commission in June 2025. It is no longer on the EU legislative agenda.
EmpCo vs ECGT vs Green Claims Directive — Quick Comparison
- **EmpCo (Empowering Consumers Directive 2024/825)** — Status: ACTIVE. Adopted March 2024. Enforces September 27, 2026. Bans 82+ vague green terms. Penalties up to 4% of annual turnover per affected EU country. Applies to all B2C marketing including e-commerce.
- **ECGT (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition)** — Same legal text as EmpCo. Different name. Used interchangeably by regulators, law firms, and compliance vendors. Identical scope, identical enforcement date, identical penalties.
- **Green Claims Directive (COM/2023/166)** — Status: WITHDRAWN June 2025. Was a separate proposal that would have required third-party pre-verification of green claims and a complaint mechanism. Never adopted. Removed from the EU agenda.
Some businesses heard 'Green Claims Directive withdrawn' on LinkedIn or in a law firm newsletter and assumed all EU greenwashing rules were cancelled. They were not. EmpCo / ECGT remains fully in force and enforces in months, not years. Treating the withdrawal as a green light to keep using 'eco-friendly' or 'carbon neutral' will lead directly to fines.
What Does EmpCo / ECGT Actually Require?
EmpCo / ECGT bans 82+ vague environmental terms in B2C marketing — see our full banned-words list — including 'eco-friendly,' 'green,' 'sustainable,' 'natural,' 'climate friendly,' and 'carbon neutral' when based on offsets. It also bans self-created sustainability labels, future-performance promises without verifiable roadmaps, and unsubstantiated comparative claims. Penalties reach 4% of annual turnover per affected EU country, with Germany already enforcing similar rules under the amended UWG since December 2025. For the deep-dive, read our complete EmpCo / ECGT Directive guide.
5 things every e-commerce store should do now
- Audit existing product copy, banners, and email marketing for banned terms — start with our free website scanner
- Remove or qualify every 'carbon neutral,' 'climate neutral,' and 'net zero' claim that relies on offsets
- Replace 'eco-friendly' and 'sustainable' with specific, certified facts (e.g. 'Made with GOTS-certified organic cotton, certificate #12345')
- Verify every certification you display is current, in-scope, and from a recognized scheme (EU Ecolabel, FSC, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, B Corp)
- Document substantiation evidence for every remaining green claim — regulators will ask, and you have 30 days to respond once contacted
Scan your store against EmpCo / ECGT — free, 60 seconds
Paste your URL. Our scanner checks every page against the 82 banned terms, flags violations by severity, references the exact legal basis, and generates compliant rewrites you can copy-paste. No signup required.
Run free scan →What If the Green Claims Directive Comes Back?
Industry observers expect the Commission may revive parts of the withdrawn Green Claims Directive in 2026 to 2027 under a different name or a reduced scope — possibly limited to specific sectors like fashion or food. EcoClaim tracks regulatory changes daily. When this happens, you will be the first to know via our blog. For now, focus exclusively on EmpCo / ECGT compliance — that is the law that actually carries fines starting September 27, 2026.
FAQ
Sources
- EUR-Lex — Directive (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo / ECGT) full text
- Latham & Watkins — European Commission Announces Intention to Withdraw EU Green Claims Directive Proposal (June 2025)
- EUR-Lex — Original Green Claims Directive proposal (COM/2023/166), now withdrawn
- Hogan Lovells — EU Member States move forward with transposition of Anti-Greenwashing Directive (Germany update)
- Senken Academy — Green Claims Directive: Current status and what companies should do now
FAQ
Is EmpCo the same as ECGT?
Yes. EmpCo (Empowering Consumers Directive) and ECGT (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition) are two interchangeable names for the same EU law: Directive 2024/825. Both terms refer to the binding directive that enforces from September 27, 2026.
Has the Green Claims Directive been withdrawn?
Yes. The European Commission officially withdrew the standalone Green Claims Directive proposal (COM/2023/166) in June 2025. However, this is a different law from EmpCo / ECGT (Directive 2024/825), which remains fully active and enforces September 27, 2026.
What law actually applies to my e-commerce store from September 2026?
EmpCo / ECGT — formally Directive (EU) 2024/825, also called the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive. It bans vague environmental claims, offset-based carbon neutrality marketing, and self-created sustainability labels. Penalties reach 4% of annual turnover per affected EU country.
Do I still need to worry about EU greenwashing rules now that the Green Claims Directive was withdrawn?
Absolutely yes. EmpCo / ECGT (a separate, already-adopted law) bans the same vague terms — 'eco-friendly,' 'green,' 'sustainable,' 'carbon neutral' — and starts being enforced in September 2026. The withdrawal of the Green Claims Directive does not relax any of these rules.
Will the Green Claims Directive return in some form?
Possibly. Industry observers expect the European Commission may revive elements of the withdrawn proposal in 2026 to 2027, potentially with a narrower scope. EcoClaim tracks regulatory changes — subscribe to our blog to be notified.