„Substantiation"
Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5b
What does it mean?
Substantiation refers to the obligation to underpin any environmental claim with concrete, verifiable evidence. The EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825) significantly tightens these requirements, as generic statements such as "environmentally friendly" or "sustainable" will be considered misleading from 27 September 2026 onwards if not appropriately substantiated. This is based on § 5b UWG, which sanctions the omission of material information as an unfair commercial practice. The evidence must be presented directly and in an easily accessible manner on the same website on which the claim is made.
Typical phrasings
- 'Biodegradable': Provide OECD 301 certificate and specify test conditions.
- 'Recycled': State the proportion of recycled material and link to certificate (e.g. DIN CERTCO).
- 'Carbon-neutral shipping': Disclose calculation methodology and name offset projects.
What you can write instead
Instead of 'environmentally friendly': '80% less water consumption in production, verified according to ISO 14064-1.'
Required evidence
- ISO 14064-1 verification
- EU Ecolabel (Flower)
- Blue Angel (RAL-UZ-No.)
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."