EU Green Claims Directive 2026: Which sustainability labels are still valid?

Starting September 27, 2026, a new rule will apply throughout the EU: General, unsubstantiated environmental claims such as "climate-neutral," "eco-friendly," or "green-produced" will be prohibited without proof – as will private sustainability labels not based on an independent certification system or government recognition. This is based on Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition, which supplements the existing UCP Directive (Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business practices). For you as a buyer, this means: Some of the eco-logos you see on clothing today will no longer be permitted in that form after this date.

What the directive changes in concrete terms

Directive (EU) 2024/825 was adopted in February 2024 and had to be transposed into national law by EU member states by March 27, 2026. It will apply from September 27, 2026 – across the entire EU, regardless of where a shop is based. As of this date, the following practices, among others, are prohibited as unfair business practices:

• Generic environmental claims without proof – Terms like "environmentally friendly," "green," or "sustainable" when there is no recognized, verifiable basis for them.
• Climate neutrality claims based exclusively on offsetting – e.g., "climate-neutral through carbon credits," without actual emission reductions having taken place within the company's own operations.
• Sustainability labels without independent certification – Labels not based on a system verified by a certification body (e.g., accredited according to ISO/IEC 17065) or a government-recognized program may no longer be used after the effective date.
• Durability and repairability claims without proof, such as unsubstantiated statements regarding the lifespan of a garment.

What this means for clothing labels, and what is not affected

Not every label is affected in the same way. The crucial difference lies in whether a label is based on an independent, audited certification or a self-declaration:

• Robustly positioned: Labels like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, or TENCEL™ are based on annual on-site audits by independent testing bodies and already structurally meet the requirements for verifiable sustainability claims.
• Some vegan labels are facing adjustments: A concrete example from our own practice: The PETA-Approved-Vegan logo is based on a brand's self-declaration to PETA, not an independent ISO 17065 certification. We are therefore currently switching to accredited alternatives such as The Vegan Society or the V-Label.
• Certification standards themselves are also evolving: With version 7.0, GOTS has tightened requirements, stipulating that if a synthetic fiber content exceeds 10% in a product, it must come from recycled rather than newly produced ("virgin") material – an example that "certified" is not a static state but is regularly sharpened.

What this means for your purchasing decision from September 2026 onwards

• It is more worthwhile to check who is certifying rather than looking at the logo alone: Is there an independent testing body behind it, or is it a brand's self-declaration?
• From the effective date, brands must be able to provide evidence for every specific environmental claim – this also applies to information in product descriptions, not just label logos.
• Violations will be punished via the existing system for unfair business practices; the specific level of sanctions is determined by individual member states in their national implementation laws.
• For you, little will change when picking an item from the shelf – brands with established, audited labels (GOTS, Fairtrade, OEKO-TEX) were already on the safer side before the deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Does the directive apply only to new collections? No. It concerns all environmental claims and labels in advertising, on product pages, and on the clothing itself – regardless of when a product was put on sale.

Is GOTS affected by the new directive? As an independently audited certification system, GOTS is not the target of the ban – on the contrary, such systems are the benchmark against which unsubstantiated claims will be measured in the future.

Do I as a customer need to do anything now? No. The directive is aimed at companies, not consumers. For you, the change is that information on labels and in shops will have to be more reliable from the effective date.

How we know this

This article is based on Directive (EU) 2024/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council on empowering consumers for the green transition (published in the Official Journal of the EU in March 2024) and the current GOTS standard version 7.0. As a GOTS-certified brand, we are currently checking our own labels and claims against these new requirements – including switching our vegan label.

Published on 09/14/2026 · last reviewed on 09/14/2026 Author: Niklas Astor, Founder of GREEN SHIRTS

Sources:

• Directive (EU) 2024/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 February 2024 on empowering consumers for the green transition
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Version 7.0
• Internal Compliance Onboarding GREEN SHIRTS B2C (as of 07/30/2026)