Policy & consumer protection
Green Claims
Definition
Green claims are claims that show how a product, service, brand, or business provides a benefit or is less harmful to the environment. They encompass explicit statements, labels, and — under recent EU law — even brand names, imagery, and colour schemes that create an environmental association. Consumer-protection regimes require such claims to be truthful, specific, substantiated, and not misleading.
References
regulatory treatment of claims
definition
Overview
What it means
A green claim is a factual promise that must be provable.
Generic terms ("eco-friendly", "green", "sustainable"), offset-based neutrality claims, partial-scope claims, and claims presenting legal compliance as voluntary achievement are all targeted by the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EU) 2024/825, applicable from September 2026, which bans generic claims lacking recognised substantiation.
How it is used
Regulators (FTC, CMA, EU authorities) police claims; businesses substantiate them with LCA data, certifications, and evidence files; and courts increasingly hear greenwashing litigation built on misleading claims.
Why it matters
Claims are the interface between sustainability performance and the market; if they cannot be trusted, both consumers and honest businesses lose. **Note:** Complements 1145 FTC Green Guides (US) and 1261 CMA Green Claims Code (UK), the two named instruments governing claims.