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Standards & schemes

ISO 14021:2026 (Self-declared environmental claims)

ISO

Claims standard
Issuer / operator
ISO
Geography
Global
Sectors
All sectors
Scope unit
Product
Current edition
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Edition status
Published
Next edition review
Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact
Access to standard text
Paid
Binding status
Voluntary, referenced by law
Binding in
Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact
Materiality lens
Not applicable
Reporting / measurement unit
Product
Assurance expectation
None
Interoperability
Not yet reviewed. Help review this fact
Instrument kind
Claims

In brief

What this profile covers

ISO 14021 is the standard for self-declared environmental claims — the labels, statements and symbols companies make about their own products without third-party certification. Now in its third edition (ISO 14021:2026, "Environmental statements and programmes for products"), it defines requirements for claim accuracy, verifiability and non-deceptiveness, specifies how common claims such as "recyclable," "recycled content," "compostable" or "reduced resource use" should be qualified, and restricts vague terms. Its practical importance is legal: regulators and courts assessing greenwashing use it as the reference for what an honest self-declared claim requires — accurate, specific, substantiated, and not likely to mislead. Compliance is voluntary, but the standard defines the benchmark against which green claims are judged under consumer-protection law. The 2026 third edition updates the standard for current claim practice, addressing digital claims and tightening requirements on substantiation and lifecycle thinking. It is explicitly referenced in EU policy work on empowering consumers and green claims, so its definitions increasingly carry legal weight beyond voluntary use. Using this framework does not by itself verify data accuracy, legal compliance or sustainability performance.

Conditional relationships

Claims it may support

A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.

RecyclableProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
Made with 50% recycled contentProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
CompostableProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
BiodegradableProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
Eco-friendly” / “green” / “planet-friendlyProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
Made from ocean-bound plasticProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
Chemical-freeProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗
Eco-designedProvides evidence relevant to · Disclosure against this standard provides evidence relevant to the claim; the standard does not certify performance.
Evidence and conditions
Edition reviewed
ISO 14021:2026 (Edition 3) — "Environmental statements and programmes for products — Self-declared environmental claims"
Covered scope
Product
Market
Global
Evidence normally needed
Published disclosure/report prepared in accordance with the standard; separate assurance statement where the claim implies independent verification
Assurance
Self-declared (second-party)
Chain of custody
Not applicable — the scheme defines no chain-of-custody model
Relationship source ↗

Recognition & legal context

Laws referencing it

No reviewed law references are published.

Dictionary concepts

Provenance5 profile updates
Profile update 5
Imported source-linked claim and dictionary relationship reviews. Public profile remains Founding edition · public beta.
Profile update 4
Added source-linked instrument, organisation and conformity classifications. Public profile remains Founding edition · public beta.
Profile update 3
Applied the owner/editor-approved Review 01 source and edition corrections. Public profile remains Founding edition · public beta.
Profile update 2
Initial profile published after recorded site-owner/editor review of the complete standards batch.
Profile update 1
Initial private editorial draft imported from the reviewed standards handover.

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