Which independent verifiers of environmental claims operate in the EU?

There is no EU authority that checks environmental claims in advance. Verification happens on three levels, and enforcement comes afterwards through competition law.

• Accredited testing laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025 measure the property itself, for example plastic content, microplastics or PFAS.
• Certification bodies to ISO/IEC 17065 assess conformity with a published programme and monitor it over time.
• National accreditation bodies under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 accredit those bodies. In Germany this is DAkkS.

Who enforces compliance

No authority acting on its own motion, but competitors and consumer associations through competition law. Since 27 September 2026 the EmpCo Directive takes effect in Germany through the blacklist annexed to section 3(3) of the Act Against Unfair Competition.

How to recognise a sound body

Three questions are enough: is the certification scheme publicly described? Is the assessing body accredited for this scope? Can the individual certificate be looked up, for example through a licence number in a public register such as the flustix certification database?

Version: September 2026