Which environmental claims are prohibited from 27 September 2026?

Prohibited above all are generic environmental claims without evidence of recognised excellent environmental performance, claims about the whole product that only apply to one aspect, and product-related climate neutrality claims based on offsetting emissions. Generic environmental claims include “environmentally friendly”, “green”, “ecological”, “climate friendly”, “biodegradable” and “bio-based”.

Six new entries are added to the Annex to section 3 (3) of the Unfair Competition Act in total. They apply per se: unlike with misleading practices, it does not matter whether the claim deceives in the individual case. A claim that names a specific, verified property and supplies the evidence for it remains permitted.