As of 27 September 2026, the EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo) is fully applicable across the 27-member bloc. In amending two existing pieces of consumer protection legislation, the directive works to deter unfair commercial practices, notably greenwashing, while increasing the availability and credibility of information that helps consumers to assess the sustainability credentials of products at the point of purchase. In so doing, it takes direct aim at both misleading and vague environmental claims, raising the bar for companies operating in the region.
The result is the world’s most comprehensive regulatory framework targeting greenwashing. Its implementation will now be scrutinized to see if it can successfully banish the practice without simultaneously opening the door to greenhushing, whereby companies withdraw or hold back from talking about sustainability performance altogether. To deliver on the promise of informed, conscious decision-making by confident consumers, it is essential that brands now identify new and compelling ways to communicate on sustainability in terms that not only meet the requirements of EmpCo, but that consumers can also readily understand and connect with.
The drive to develop EmpCo was the culmination of a variety of factors. For many years, there has been a growing body of research pointing to the salience of sustainability in the purchasing decisions of consumers. Recent research bears this out, including a 2026 survey carried out by Pro Carton that indicates that 53% of Europeans actively consider the climate impact of packaging before purchasing a product . This is a 2% rise on 2025 figures. Recent data published by GlobalData in 2026 also highlights that consumers are often looking for stronger proof to support these claims, with 43% of those surveyed indicating that factors such as transparent reporting and a proven environmental track record would increase levels of trust . The framework is also important in levelling the playing field on sustainability, ensuring that brands undertaking the significant work and investment to substantiate their claims and ambitions are recognized accordingly. This helps distinguish them from those making vague, grandiose or unverifiable statements on the subject.
Ahead of its application, brands have been reviewing and revising their messaging to ensure compliance. For companies that have integrated sustainability into their core business, this has generally also required a broader re-evaluation of their positioning. As packaging is one of the most prominent and immediate vehicles for sustainability focused communications at the point of purchase, this process is one which we’ve been working in close partnership with our customers on. Consumers may notice some changes the next time they go to pick up their favourite drink, snack or household item from the store. For example, as brands can no longer make claims about being carbon or climate neutral using carbon offset initiatives, many of these labels will disappear from packaging. At the same time, generic terms such as ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ can only be used where substantiated. Meanwhile, third party independent verification and certification logos and labels can be expected to become more prominent following the prohibition of internal company designs. Disappearing or scaled back claims do not mean commitments have been abandoned in principle, only that they are not able to substantiate these with the level of proof required by EmpCo. Those commitments still visible on the shelves are the ones that consumers can have a high level of confidence in.
The elimination of unsubstantiated claims and over-promising should be supported by all those with a genuine commitment to sustainability. Yet there is no escaping the fact that the process of ensuring compliance has been both time and resource intensive. Coming at a time of heightened cost and inflationary pressures, it has necessitated considerable investment from those who do not simply wish to abandon communicating on the subject altogether.
It has also made talking about sustainability more complicated, and in some cases even risky. It raises the spectre of greenhushing, which can also do its own damage by reducing the visibility or salience of sustainability-related considerations from the conversation. For this reason, the most urgent priority now is to establish new ways to communicate with consumers on the subject in a meaningful way and to keep sustainability high on the agenda. And, to do so without exposing some of its greatest proponents or penalising the pioneers in the field who seek to lead the way when it comes to innovation.
This is a challenge that has resonance far beyond the EU. For many global operators, including Elopak, the importance of speaking with one voice when it comes to sustainability is integral to a much wider commitment to ensuring that consumers, wherever they are in the world, can access and benefit from the same information and evidence when weighing up their purchasing decisions. Critically, however, it also represents an important opportunity to recalibrate sustainability communications for the better. One that we must now collectively embrace as a game changer for those genuinely committed to raising the bar.