On Monday 28 September 2026, Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg announced that it welcomed the implementation of new European Union (EU) rules aimed at tackling misleading environmental and social claims and strengthening requirements for sustainability labels.
The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) Directive has applied since Sunday 27 September 2026, following its transposition into Luxembourg law through the law of 9 June 2026.
The legislation aims to strengthen consumer protection against misleading information concerning the social characteristics of products or companies, known as “social washing”, as well as greenwashing and sustainability labels that lack transparency or credibility.
The directive introduces stricter requirements for generic sustainability claims such as “green”, “ecological”, “sustainable” and “responsible”. Generic environmental claims are prohibited unless companies can demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance.
The new rules also prohibit companies from claiming that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the climate based on the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions. Claims concerning future environmental performance may also be considered misleading unless they are based on clear, objective, publicly accessible and verifiable commitments, accompanied by a detailed implementation plan and regular independent monitoring.
The directive also introduces requirements concerning sustainability labels. Labels that are not based on a certification scheme or established by public authorities are now prohibited. Certification systems must meet minimum transparency and credibility requirements and include objective monitoring by a competent and independent third party.
Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg noted that independent certification has long formed part of the Fairtrade system. Since 2003, Fairtrade has separated the development of its standards from their monitoring, entrusting certification to FLOCERT. In 2007, FLOCERT became one of the first social certification bodies to obtain ISO accreditation for its Fairtrade certification services, while the FAIRTRADE label has been registered as a EU certification mark since 2021.
According to the NGO, its system already meets the five criteria established by the directive for certification schemes, including: publicly accessible requirements; transparent access to certification; stakeholder involvement in developing standards; procedures for non-compliance; and independent third-party monitoring.
In Luxembourg, Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg welcomed the strengthening of the legal framework but called on the competent authorities to ensure its full and consistent implementation. In particular, the NGO urged authorities to give social claims the same level of attention as environmental claims when carrying out checks and providing information to businesses and the public.
Jean-Louis Zeien, President of Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg, said: “The Fairtrade movement did not wait for the EmpCo Directive to promote transparency and rely on a credible and monitored certification system. With this directive, ‘Trittbrettfahrer’ (free-rider) practices involving self-certification should gradually come to an end. This is an important step forward for consumers, who are entitled to expect that the information appearing on a product’s packaging corresponds to the reality on the ground. It is now up to the authorities to ensure the effective application of this legislation at national level.”
