What are the prohibited words and phrases according to Directive 2024/825/EU?

Prohibitions regarding green claims are introduced by Directive 2024/825/EU in Annex I of Directive 29/2005. This annex represents the black list of practices that are always prohibited.

For example, the prohibitions are:

– exhibit a sustainability label that is not based on a certification system or is not established by public authorities;

– make a generic environmental claim for which the economic operator is unable to demonstrate recognized excellence in environmental performance relevant to the claim;

– make an environmental claim concerning the product as a whole or the economic operator’s activity as a whole when it concerns only a specific aspect of the product or a specific element of the economic operator’s activity;

– assert, on the basis of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions;

– present requirements imposed by law on the Union market for all products in a given category as if they were a distinctive feature of the economic operator’s offer.

(Points: 2a, 4a, 4b, 4c, 10a)

Last modified on 10/01/2025

Who, what and when