Goodbye "eco-friendly": what the new EU rules on green claims mean for your products
Let's be honest. Most of us in the industry have written "eco-friendly" on a product at some point. It's short, it sounds good, and customers like it.
From 27 September 2026, that stops working. New EU rules make it illegal to use general green words without proof. In Denmark, the rules are part of the Marketing Act (markedsføringsloven), and the Danish Consumer Ombudsman (Forbrugerombudsmanden) will enforce them.
This post explains what changes and shows real examples from fashion, interiors and jewellery. It ends with a simple plan you can start this week.
What are the new rules?
The rules come from an EU directive called Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (Directive 2024/825). EU countries had to put it into national law by 27 March 2026, and it applies from 27 September 2026.
Three things are important to know:
It covers all marketing to consumers. That includes product pages, hang tags, packaging, social media, newsletters and what your sales staff say in the shop.
It also covers products already on the shelf. There is no transition period for old stock or old texts.
Pictures count too. A green leaf, a globe icon or a product name like "Nature Collection" can be seen as a green claim.
The 5 things that are now always misleading
Before, authorities had to look at each claim case by case. Now some practices go on a "blacklist". These are always banned, no matter the context.
1. General green words without proof
Words like green, eco-friendly, climate-friendly, environmentally friendly, natural or responsible are banned unless you can show "recognised excellent environmental performance".
What does that mean in practice? The Danish Consumer Ombudsman points to official eco-labels such as the EU Ecolabel and the Nordic Swan (Svanemærket). If your product doesn't have that kind of documentation, the general word has to go.
2. Home-made sustainability labels
A sustainability label must be either:
based on a certification scheme with independent, third-party control, or
set up by public authorities.
Your own "Green Choice" badge, designed by the marketing team, doesn't count. Neither does a leaf icon with "Conscious" written under it.
3. Saying the whole product is better when only one part is
If only the packaging is recycled, you can't say the product is sustainable. If only the lining is organic cotton, you can't call the jacket "organic".
4. "Climate neutral" based on carbon offsets
You may no longer claim a product is climate neutral, CO2 neutral, climate positive or has reduced climate impact if that relies only on buying carbon credits outside the product's own value chain (for example, paying for tree planting somewhere else).
You can still buy offsets and talk about it. You just can't use them to say the product itself is neutral.
5. Presenting the law as a selling point
If the law already requires something for all products, you can't market it as a special feature of yours. That's like a restaurant advertising "we wash our hands".
And one more rule: promises about the future
"Climate neutral by 2030" is still allowed, but only if you back it up with:
a clear, public and measurable plan with targets and dates
regular checks by an independent third party
A promise on the website with nothing behind it is no longer enough.
What happens if you get it wrong?
The Danish Consumer Ombudsman can take up cases, and breaking the Marketing Act can lead to fines. Just as important is the risk to your reputation. Customers, journalists and competitors are paying more attention to green claims than ever.
Your 5-step plan for this week
You don't need a big project to get started. Here's what we suggest:
Pick your 10 bestsellers. Start where most customers see your texts.
Find every green claim. Look at the website, hang tags, packaging, catalogues, social media and sales material. Remember icons and colours too.
Ask one question per claim: "Can we prove this with a document today?"
Rewrite or remove. Make the claim specific (material, percentage, certificate), or take it out.
Tell the people who write product texts. That includes the web shop team, sales, agents and marketing, and also your retailers if they use your texts.
Then make it a habit. Add a "green claim check" to your routine whenever you launch a new product or collection.
No quick fix, but a good opportunity
We won't pretend this is easy. It takes time to go through old texts and collect documentation from suppliers. But the new rules also help those of us who do the real work. When vague words disappear, honest and specific information stands out.
Not sure about your own claims? Send us one of your product texts, and we'll give you our honest feedback.