AFi launches new explainer on EU Empowering Consumers Directive

Businesses around the globe make claims about the sustainability characteristics of their products. This may include claiming a product was made with less water or energy, fewer harmful chemicals, or longer lasting materials.

As scrutiny grows, companies are increasingly using certification, disclosure, and verification to substantiate claims and strengthen credibility. Whilst this is encouraging, there are still many companies making sustainability claims that are not accurate, specific, or that cannot be validated.

This can lead to ‘greenwashing’, where businesses mislead consumers about the sustainability benefits of their products, often through exaggerated, unverified, or vague claims.

Supporting consumers through regulation

In response, regulators around the world are working to establish rules requiring sustainability claims to be clear, accurate, and verifiable. The European Union (EU) has made a significant step to address this issue, through its Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, also known as ‘EmpCo’.

In February 2024, the EU adopted the EmpCo Directive, which is designed to protect consumers from greenwashing efforts. It will do this by establishing new rules for companies on making sustainability claims about their products. The Directive will become effective on 27 September 2026, meaning companies wishing to sell products within the EU market must abide by these rules from this point forward. 

Strengthening corporate sustainability claims

The Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) is today launching a new explainer on the EmpCo Directive. The new explainer is designed as a practical resource for companies looking to understand how EmpCo applies to sustainability claims related to deforestation, ecosystem conversion, and human rights. It also explains how companies can use the Accountability Framework to support the development and substantiation of those claims. 

The Accountability Framework is a set of definitions, guidance, and principles on how to ensure agricultural and forestry commodity supply chains are free from deforestation, ecosystem conversion, and human rights violations. It can be used by companies, financial institutions, and other stakeholders.

Companies can use the new AFi explainer to: 

• Learn about the key requirements of the EmpCo Directive
• Understand the implications of these requirements for claims related to deforestation, conversion, and human rights
• See how to Accountability Framework to develop clear, accurate, and verifiable sustainability claims
• Discover the types of evidence needed to substantiate claims, such as certification, monitoring and verification, and traceability 

On the launch of the explainer, AFi Engagement Manager Teresa Garcia-Moore said:

“The EmpCo Directive is a step towards ensuring environmental claims are substantiated and easy to understand. The new AFi explainer helps companies assess existing claims, develop new ones, identify evidence gaps, and understand where to find the evidence they need.”

Get started with the AFi’s new explainer

See how to use the Accountability Framework to develop sustainability claims that comply with the EmpCo Directive today:

Download the explainer