„Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)"
§ 5 Abs. 1 UWG i.V.m. ISO 14040/44
What does it mean?
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a quantitative method for evaluating all environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle — from raw material extraction through production and use to disposal. From 27 September 2026, a robust LCA will be the basis for the legal certainty of environmental claims, as the EmpCo Directive and UWG require substantial substantiation. Without a comprehensible LCA study, statements about the environmental friendliness of a product are misleading under § 5 UWG. The standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 define the methodology and requirements for a proper LCA.
Typical phrasings
- "30% CO₂ reduction compared to 2019, demonstrated by LCA in accordance with ISO 14044"
- "Recyclable: LCA confirms that 95% of the material can be recycled at end of life"
What you can write instead
For specific environmental claims (e.g. carbon footprint, recyclability), publicly link an LCA study — including definition of the functional unit, system boundaries and data sources.
Required evidence
- ISO 14040/44-compliant LCA
- EPD (Environmental Product Declaration)
- PEF study
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."Does your website use „Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)"?
Check for free whether your website is affected.
Free Check