„Carbon Neutral"
Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)
What does it mean?
'Carbon neutral' and 'carbon neutrality' are almost synonymous with 'climate neutral' and are therefore subject to the per-se ban pursuant to Annex I No. 4a UCPD in conjunction with the EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825) from 27 September 2026. This means that claims of carbon neutrality based on the offsetting of CO2 emissions will be deemed misleading, even if the offsetting is carried out through demonstrably effective projects. The BGH judgment I ZR 98/23 (Katjes, 27 June 2024) makes clear that the failure to disclose calculation methods and offsetting measures already constitutes a misleading claim today. Instead, companies should state concrete reduction targets and transparently offset remaining emissions, whereby the standards used (e.g. Gold Standard) must be disclosed.
Typical phrasings
- "Carbon Neutral Product"
- "Carbon neutral company"
- "We are climate neutral and carbon neutral"
- "100% Carbon Neutral through Offsetting"
What you can write instead
"We have reduced our Scope 1+2 emissions by 42% since 2019 (verified to ISO 14064-1) and offset the remaining residual emissions through certified projects (Gold Standard)."
Required evidence
- ISO 14064-1 Verification
- Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)
- Gold Standard (for offsetting)
Rechtsgrundlage (Originalwortlaut)
Anhang I Nr. 4a UCPD (i.d.F. EmpCo) — generische Umweltaussage ohne anerkannte Nachweise
Quelle: Richtlinie (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo) — verbindlich ist ausschließlich die im Amtsblatt der Europäischen Union veröffentlichte Fassung.
DEDeutsch (amtlich, DE-Fassung Amtsblatt)aufklappenzuklappen
„Treffen einer allgemeinen Umweltaussage, wobei der Gewerbetreibende die anerkannte hervorragende Umweltleistung, auf die sich die Aussage bezieht, nicht nachweisen kann."ENEnglish (Official Journal, EN version)aufklappenzuklappen
„Making a generic environmental claim for which the trader is not able to demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim."FRFrançais (Journal officiel, version FR)aufklappenzuklappen
„Présenter une allégation environnementale générique au sujet de laquelle le professionnel n'est pas en mesure de démontrer l'excellente performance environnementale reconnue en rapport avec l'allégation."NLNederlands (Publicatieblad, NL versie)aufklappenzuklappen
„Het maken van een generieke milieuclaim zonder dat de handelaar erkende voortreffelijke milieuprestaties kan aantonen die relevant zijn voor de claim."