Prohibited Greenwashing Terms from September 2026

„Made from 100% natural materials"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), § 5 UWG

„Animal-free"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 S. 2 Nr. 1 UWG i.V.m. Anhang I UCPD (EU 2024/825)

„Animal testing-free"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009

„B Corp Certified"

Recognised seal — Annex I No. 4 UCPD (possibility of remedy)

„Biodegradable"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (from 27.09.2026) / § 5 Abs. 1 S. 2 Nr. 1 UWG

„Biologically harmless"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD, EU Detergents Reg.

„Bioplastic"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5

„Bluewashing"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 S. 2 Nr. 1 UWG i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„By 2030 / 2040 / 2050"

Future promises — Art. 6 EmpCo, Annex I No. 4a UCPD

„Carbon footprint"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Carbon Neutral"

Per-se ban — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Circular Economy"

Mandatory Substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo, § 5 Abs. 2 UWG

„Climate-compatible"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Climate Footprint"

Conditionally permissible — Annex I No. 4 UCPD

„Climate-friendly"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EU 2024/825 (EmpCo)

„Climate-intelligent"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5b, Anhang I UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Climate-Just"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Climate-neutral"

Per-se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Climate-neutral Shipping"

Per-se ban — Annex I No. 4a UCPD

„Climate Positive"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Climate-positive balanced"

Per-se ban — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Climate protection contribution"

Conditionally permissible — Annex I No. 4 UCPD

„Close to nature"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„CO₂ compensated"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EU 2024/825

„CO₂ equivalent"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5, UWG § 5b, EmpCo (EU 2024/825) Art. 3

„CO₂ neutral"

Per se ban — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo

„CO₂-positive"

Per-se ban — Annex I No. 4a UCPD

„Compostable"

Generic ban — Annex I No. 2 UCPD, EN 13432, EN 17427

„CORSIA"

International standard — ICAO CORSIA Resolution A41-22

„Cradle to Cradle"

Recognised label — Annex I No. 4 UCPD (possibility of remedy)

„Cradle to Grave"

Methodology — ISO 14040

„CSRD-compliant"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5, UWG § 5b i.V.m. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Decarbonisation"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 UWG i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Double Materiality"

CSRD Methodology — CSRD Art. 19a

„DUH Cease-and-Desist Letter"

Legal Terms — § 8 UWG (Standing to Sue)

„Eco"

Generic ban — Annex I No. 2 UCPD, EU Organic Regulation 2018/848

„Eco-balance"

Comparative ban — Annex I No. 4 UCPD

„Eco-conscious"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Ecodesign Regulation"

Mandatory substantiation — EU 2024/1781 (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, ESPR)

„Ecological"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo

„EFRAG"

Mandatory substantiation — Directive (EU) 2022/2464 (CSRD), Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772 (ESRS) Art. 29b

„Embodied Carbon"

Scientific unit — Annex I No. 4 UCPD

„Emission factors"

Methodology — IPCC Guidelines, ISO 14064

„Emission-free"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5

„Energy-efficient"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), EU 2017/1369 (Framework Regulation)

„Environmental labels"

Recognised standards — Annex I No. 4 UCPD

„Environmentally Friendly"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo

„ESG-compliant"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 UWG i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 4 UCPD (EU 2024/825)

„ESG Rating"

Mandatory Substantiation — § 5 UWG, § 5a Abs. 2 UWG (Misleading practices)

„ESRS E1 (Climate Change)"

EU Standard — CSRD + ESRS E1

„Ethical"

Generic prohibition — Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo, § 5 Abs. 2 UWG

„EU Taxonomy"

Mandatory Substantiation — Regulation (EU) 2020/852, Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (SFDR Art. 8/9)

„Fair"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo, § 5 UWG

„Fair Fashion"

Sector term — EmpCo, § 5 UWG

„Fairtrade"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825), Fairtrade standards

„Fairtrade Certificate"

Certification — FLOCERT Standards

„Free from..."

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 10 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo, § 5 UWG

„From Overseas"

Origin statement — Art. 60 UZK + § 5 UWG

„Future-proof"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Generationally Fair"

Generic Prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„GHG Protocol"

Mandatory substantiation — UWP § 5 i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Gold Standard"

Mandatory Substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Green"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo

„Green Bond"

Mandatory substantiation — Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, § 5a Abs. 2 UWG

„Green Claims Directive"

EU framework — COM 2023/166 (suspended 2025)

„Green Electricity"

Mandatory Substantiation — UWG § 5 i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD (i.d.F. EU 2024/825)

„Green Hydrogen"

Conditionally permissible — EU-RED II + EmpCo

„Green Investment"

Generic prohibition finance — SFDR + EU Taxonomy Regulation 2020/852

„Greenhouse Gas Neutral"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Greenhushing"

Mandatory substantiation — § 289c HGB (implementation of CSRD, EU 2022/2464)

„Insetting"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5

„ISO 14068-1"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5, UWG § 5b, EU 2024/825 (EmpCo)

„Klimacheck Certificate"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Less is More"

Generic Prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 UWG i.V.m. ISO 14040/44

„Low-CO₂"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), § 5 UWG

„Made from nature"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Made from recycled material"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 4 UCPD, ISO 14021

„Made in Germany"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 UWG, Art. 60 UZK

„Microplastic-free"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 UWG i.V.m. EU-VO 2023/2055 REACH Anhang XVII Eintrag 78

„More than sustainable"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD

„Natural"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo, § 5 UWG

„Nature Positive"

Advertising claim — WBCSD Nature-Positive Framework (draft)

„Net Positive"

Per-se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD

„Net Zero / Net Zero"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Net Zero 2050"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Not Tested on Animals"

Mandatory substantiation — EU 1223/2009 Art. 18, Anhang I Nr. 10 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Öko-Test 'very good'"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5 Abs. 1

„Organic Cotton"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Palm oil-free"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5

„Paper-free"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo, § 5 Abs. 1 UWG

„Paris-compliant"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 4a UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (environmental claims without evidence)

„PAS 2060"

Outdated standard — Replaced by ISO 14068-1

„PEF (Product Environmental Footprint)"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), EU Commission Recommendation 2021/2279

„Pesticide-free"

Absolute claim — Annex I No. 4 UCPD, EU Organic Regulation 2018/848

„Planet Friendly"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Planet Positive"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2+4 UCPD

„Plastic-free"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD, § 5 UWG

„Plastic Neutral"

Per Se Prohibition — § 5 Abs. 2 UWG i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 4a UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Plastic-reduced"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5

„Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR)"

Material — ISO 14021

„Pre-verification"

Mandatory substantiation — Art. 3 EU 2024/825 (EmpCo), § 5 Abs. 1 UWG

„Proprietary sustainability label"

Per se prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), Art. 8(2) EmpCo

„REACH-compliant"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825) + EU REACH 1907/2006

„Recyclable"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD, ISO 14021

„Recyclable vs. recycled"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5

„Recyclate"

Mandatory Substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 UWG, Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. b EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Refurbished"

Mandatory Substantiation — EU 2024/825 (EmpCo), UWG § 5

„Regenerative Agriculture"

Conditionally Permissible — Annex I No. 4 UCPD

„Made from renewable raw materials"

Conditionally permissible — Annex I No. 4 UCPD, ISO 14021

„Repairability Score (Indice de Réparabilité)"

Mandatory Substantiation — Art. L541-9-2 Code de l'environnement (France), (EU) 2024/1799 (R2R Directive)

„Resource-efficient"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Responsible"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EU 2024/825 (EmpCo)

„Reusable"

Factual claim — VerpackG + § 5 UWG

„Right to Repair"

Mandatory Substantiation — Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (in force from 23.10.2024)

„SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel)"

Mandatory Substantiation — Art. 4 Abs. 1 ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation (EU) 2023/605, Art. 3 EmpCo-Richtlinie (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5

„Science Based Targets"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5

„Scope 1+2"

Mandatory Substantiation — § 5 UWG i.V.m. GHG Protocol, EU 2024/825 (EmpCo Art. 3)

„Scope 3"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 UWG, § 5b UWG, Art. 6 EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Secondary raw material"

Mandatory substantiation — § 5 UWG, Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EU 2024/825 (EmpCo)

„SFDR Article 9"

EU Financial Regulation — SFDR (EU) 2019/2088 Art. 9, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1288

„Shop consciously"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Slow Fashion"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„Socially responsible"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Substantiation"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5b

„Supply Chain Act (LkSG)"

Mandatory substantiation — LkSG (DE), from 2027 CSDDD (EU)

„Sustainability Report"

Mandatory Substantiation — § 5 Abs. 1 UWG i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EU 2024/825

„Sustainable"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Sustainable Growth"

Generic Prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Taking responsibility"

Generic prohibition — Annex I No. 2 UCPD

„TCFD"

Mandatory substantiation — CSRD Art. 19a, ESRS E1 Section 4.2

„TCO Certified"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„'Transparent' as advertising claim"

Advertising claim — § 5 UWG, EmpCo

„Vegan"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5 i.V.m. Anhang I Nr. 2 UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Vegan marketing"

Advertising claim — § 5 UWG, EU 1169/2011

„Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)"

Offsetting standard — VERRA VCS Standard

„Water footprint"

Scientific unit — ISO 14046

„Water-neutral"

Mandatory substantiation — UWG § 5, UCPD i.d.F. EmpCo (EU 2024/825)

„Zero Waste"

Mandatory substantiation — Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo, § 5 Abs. 1 UWG