Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2024/825 (GCD) Green Claims Directive of 28 February 2024 amending Directives 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU as regards the empowerment of consumers in the green transition through better protection against unfair practices and through better information (Text with EEA relevance)

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Directive (EU) 2024/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 February 2024 focuses on empowering consumers within the green transformation. Specifically, it amends directives 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU with the aim of:

• Protect consumers from unfair practices, which mislead them and prevent them from making sustainable purchasing decisions.
• Provide consumers with better information, so that they can make informed purchasing decisions and contribute to more sustainable consumption models.

Main points of the directive:

• Expanding the definition of deceptive business practices: The directive expands the list of unfair business practices that are prohibited in all circumstances. These include practices related to:
  • Premature obsolescence of goods.
  • Misleading environmental claims ("green brainwashing").
  • Misleading information about the social characteristics of products or traders.
  • Opaque and unreliable sustainability brands.
• Tightening the rules for environmental claims: Traders will have to provide clear, objective and verifiable information to support their claims about the environmental properties of the products.
  • Claims about future environmental performance they will have to be supported by a detailed implementation plan and verified by an independent expert.
  • General claims about the environment without verifiable evidence will be banned.
  • Claims based on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions will also be banned.
• Mandatory information about the lifetime and repairability of products: Traders will have to consumers to provide information on the lifetime and repairability of products before concluding the contract.
  • That includes information on spare parts availability and repair instructions.
  • In case goods with digital elements will also have to be provided information about the availability of software updates.
• Introduction of a harmonized label for commercial lifetime guarantees: Traders will have to display the harmonized label, if the manufacturer offers commercial warranty of a lifetime longer than two years. This label will also have to contain information on the legal guarantee of compliance.

Important aspects:

• The directive states emphasis on transparency and verifiability of information provided to consumers.
• Misleading new tools to combat "green brainwashing" practices.
• Strengthens consumer rights to information about the lifespan and repairability of products.
• The aim of the directive is support sustainable consumption and contribute to the green transformation.

Time schedule:

• Member States must transpose the directive into national law by 27 March 2026.
• Take action apply from September 27, 2026.
• The commission will submit report on the application of the directive by 27 September 2031.