„TCO Certified"
Annex I No. 2 UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825)
What does it mean?
TCO Certified is an internationally recognised sustainability certificate for IT equipment, which has existed since 1992. It evaluates products across their entire lifecycle with regard to ecological and social criteria. Directive EU 2024/825 (EmpCo) tightens the requirements for environmental claims, which is why the correct use of TCO Certified is important. A mere claim "TCO Certified" without specifying the generation is not sufficient and may be deemed misleading pursuant to § 5 UWG. Stating the current generation (currently Gen. 8 and Gen. 9) as well as highlighting the key focus areas (e.g. repairability, social audit, REACH+RoHS compliance) is necessary to fulfil the substantiation obligation. The EmpCo Directive provides that generic environmental claims without evidence are prohibited, whilst recognised certificates such as TCO Certified remain permissible, provided they are stated correctly and in full.
Typical phrasings
- "TCO Certified Generation 9"
- "IT hardware with TCO label"
- "Sustainable IT solutions with TCO Certified"
What you can write instead
"TCO Certified Generation 9 (valid from 2024) — Key focus areas: Repairability, Social Audit, REACH+RoHS Compliance"
Required evidence
- TCO Certified Product Finder (https://tcocertified.com/product-finder/)
- Current generation (Gen. 8 or 9)
- Re-certification every 3 years
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."