Rian Morris
Environmental Sustainability Executive Food Drink Ireland
The European Union’s drive towards a more sustainable, circular economy takes another step forward when new rules under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) Directive take effect on 27 September 2026.
A core element of the European Green Deal, the legislation is designed to make environmental claims more accurate and trustworthy, giving consumers confidence that products marketed as environmentally friendly genuinely meet recognised standards.
Greenwashing claims face stricter rules
The rules target ‘greenwashing’ by restricting vague terms such as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’ unless businesses can demonstrate recognised environmental performance. Sustainability labels will face strict oversight, requiring approved certification schemes or public authority backing, while claims that a product is environmentally neutral based solely on carbon offsetting will no longer be permitted in consumer marketing.
Irish businesses scramble to update packaging
Irish food and drink businesses have been actively preparing for these sweeping changes. Updating packaging, however, is a complex process involving designers, marketing teams, legal advisers, printers and suppliers. With thousands of companies across Europe making similar changes simultaneously, the transition is creating practical and logistical challenges as producers work at pace to ensure they comply with the incoming rules.
EU urges lenient transition enforcement
A pressing issue is the fate of products already on shop shelves or in warehouses when the rules take effect. Recognising this reality, the EU-wide Consumer Protection Cooperation Network has issued guidance encouraging a proportionate approach to enforcement during the transition. Under the framework, national authorities are advised to consider factors such as packaging cycles, stock volumes and supply chain constraints when dealing with older products carrying legacy claims.
Updating packaging, however, is a complex process involving designers,
marketing teams, legal advisers, printers and suppliers
Pragmatic transition avoids unnecessary waste
Crucially, the guidance acknowledges that recalling or destroying perfectly usable products simply because their packaging contains outdated messaging would create unnecessary waste. Such an outcome would actively undermine the wider purpose of the legislation, which is to help consumers make informed choices to support Europe’s broader environmental goals.
The result is a pragmatic approach that prevents unnecessary waste, ensuring businesses can responsibly manage the transition of goods already in the supply chain whilst aligning their current operations and consumer marketing with the new rules.
