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The EmpCo Directive significantly tightens the EU's requirements for environmental claims and specifically targets misleading environmental communication. Effective September 27, 2026, it will be legally binding across the EU, defining clear rules for handling so-called Green Claims. Going forward, blanket or unspecific terms like "eco-friendly," "green," "sustainable," or "climate-neutral" will be inadmissible without robust and verifiable evidence. Claims about environmental impact must be clearly substantiated, verifiable, and understandable for consumers.
Sustainability labels are also under increased scrutiny: they will only be permissible if they are based on independent, transparent certification systems. Self-developed or unverifiable labels, as well as misleading compensation claims, will be prohibited in the future. More information from C2CPII.
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‍The aim of the directive is to provide consumers with reliable information and enable informed purchasing decisions. For companies, this means increasing demands on the quality and verifiability of their sustainability communication, as well as a significantly higher risk for unsubstantiated claims.
The originally planned EU Green Claims Directive is currently not being implemented, making the EmpCo Directive the central regulatory framework for environmental communication in the EU at present.

Die Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is an EU directive that regulates companies' sustainability reporting. It came into force on January 5, 2023 and significantly expands the scope and scope of reporting compared to previous regulations.
However, with the 2025 Omnibus Package, the scope of application of the CSRD has been adjusted: Only companies with more than 1,000 employees and either a turnover of over 50 million euros or a balance sheet total of over 25 million euros are now required to report. For these companies, the CSRD applies for financial years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. Reporting requirements for other large companies have been postponed to January 1, 2027. Capital market-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have also been relieved — their reporting obligation now only starts from January 1, 2028.
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A central element of CSRD is the principle of double materiality: Companies must assess both the impact of their business activities on the environment and society (outside-in perspective), as well as the financial risks and opportunities arising from sustainability issues for the company (inside-out perspective), and integrate them into their reporting. In doing so, the CSRD promotes comprehensive transparency about sustainability aspects and their significance for corporate strategy.

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is an EU directive that has been in force since 2023. Since 2024, large companies and capital market-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must identify and assess human rights and environmental risks in their supply chains (Article 6). Companies must take steps to prevent or mitigate negative effects (Article 7) and regularly monitor and report on the effectiveness of their due diligence processes (Article 8). The aim is to prevent human rights violations (Article 4) and negative environmental effects (Article 5) and thus to strengthen responsibility and transparency in the economy.

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is part of the European Green Deal and sets precise requirements for various product categories in terms of sustainability. The regulation is intended to strengthen the circular economy and aims to extend the life of products. As part of the ESPR, digital product passports (DPP) will be introduced. These will make information about the sustainability and environmental impact of products (including the content of the CPR) digitally available and processable. The DPPs are scheduled for introduction in 2026.