Free check: are your claims on the banned list?
Three questions from the Directive and the Commission's FAQ. Nothing you pick leaves this page.
Sources: European Commission, sustainable consumption; Commission services FAQ on Directive (EU) 2024/825.
The banned list, in plain words
| Practice | The rule |
|---|---|
| Generic green claims | "Green", "eco-friendly", "climate neutral" and similar are banned unless you can demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance (Annex I point 4a) |
| Offsetting claims | Product claims based on offsetting emissions are banned outright - only the product's own lifecycle counts (Annex I point 4c) |
| Self-made labels | Sustainability labels need a compliant certification scheme or a public authority behind them (Annex I point 2a) - existing labels had no grace period |
| Future claims | "Net zero by 2030" needs a public, verifiable, independently audited implementation plan - or it goes |
| Early obsolescence | Marketing practices around limited durability are blacklisted too |
Watch the artwork: the Commission's FAQ warns that colours, images and symbols - green leaves, water drops - can themselves count as generic environmental claims. Brand and product names count as well.
The EU Green Claims Cleanup Pack
- Claim audit worksheet (Excel): log every claim, badge and image across site, packaging, ads and socials; classify each against the banned list.
- Kill-or-keep checklist: the default action for each claim type, with the Annex I reference behind it.
- Sustainability label test: four questions that tell you whether a badge stays or goes.
- Rewrite guide: safer, specific patterns to replace the generic words - and how to handle future commitments.
- Guarantee rules: the new harmonised EU guarantee notice and the GARAN durability label, and where to get the official artwork.
What it is not: templates and checklists, not legal advice. It finds claims in the banned categories; it does not certify the ones you keep.
One-off. Instant download after payment. Word, Excel and PDF files.
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Questions
We only sell through marketplaces. Does this apply? If EU consumers see your listings, yes - the Directive covers commercial communications to EU consumers wherever they appear, including marketplace pages.
Our claims are true. Are we fine? "True" is not the test for the blacklisted categories. Generic claims need recognised excellent environmental performance; offsetting claims are banned however true the offset is. Specific, substantiated facts are the safe pattern.
Is this advice? No. It is an audit pack built from the Directive and the Commission's guidance. For a disputed claim, take advice in your market.