Businesses will need to ensure they can provide information and evidence on any sustainability claims in their marketing, with new EU legislation coming into force in September 2026.
Read on to find out more about this legislation, what it means for your business and steps you can take to prepare.
This guidance provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Businesses should consider obtaining their own independent legal advice regarding the application of EU consumer protection laws to their specific circumstances.
Directive (EU) 2024/825 on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition. Often shortened or referred to as the ECGT Directive.
The aim is to protect EU customers from misleading marketing claims and labels regarding the environmental credentials of a product – sometimes referred to as “greenwashing”.
The directive came into force in March 2024, but EU Member States are required to start applying their own laws enforcing the directive from 27 September 2026. From this point onwards, companies that do not comply may be subject to enforcement action and liable for penalties under the laws of the relevant EU Member State.
Yes. The directive applies to any business that markets or sells products or services to customers based in the EU – for example, this could include a Scottish self-catering business taking a booking from a customer based in Germany, or a Scottish tour operator selling to a customer in Spain.
These can vary depending on the type of breach and the country involved but it could mean a financial fine and mandatory corrective statements having to be displayed to customers within the EU.
The directive will apply to any environmental claims you make on:
Carry out an audit of all environmental and sustainability claims on your marketing channels.
Make sure that any environmental claims you make include information or link to:
Keep your claims factual and if you are unsure as to whether you can back up a claim, then it is best to err on the side of caution and remove it.
Glentress Forest
© VisitScotland / Kenny Lam
For advice on fact checking your claims, check out the market and communications section on our make sustainable improvements page.
For guidance on abiding by consumer law, please refer to the Consumer and Markets Authority’s Green claims code: making environmental claims.
The enforcement of the ECGT Directive and the penalties applied will vary by EU Member State. Responsibility for the enforcement of the ECGT Directive will rest with authorities within each EU Member State.
Businesses should be aware that misleading environmental claims may already be subject to scrutiny under existing UK consumer protection legislation and advertising rules.
The following UK bodies generally have authority to enforce legislation and regulations concerning misleading advertising and marketing.
The EU website has full details on the ECGT Directive. There is also a European Commission questions and answers document.
Find the ECGT Directive on the EU website.
Browse the European Commission's Question & Answers document | PDF 0.4MB.
There are several websites focused on climate action advice for businesses offering guidance on the ECGT Directive and help on getting compliant.
Examples include:
Our six-week Climate Action Accelerator Programme is a free online training programme, designed for Scotland’s tourism and events businesses.
