Become compliant with EmpCo/ECGT.
ECGT or EmpCo (a short nickname used by many businesses and legal experts) stands for Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition.It changes what companies are allowed to say about their sustainability efforts and what claims they use.
Are you unsure which of your current sustainability claims are prohibited? Or do you want your team to understand the implications and be able to check their own claims? We help you and your team to understand what EmpCo means in practice.
Start date: the rules become active across the EU and the Netherlands on September 27, 2026.
What is EmpCo?
EmpCo is an EU directive designed to protect consumers from misleading environmental claims and give them clearer, more reliable information when making purchasing decisions. It’s part of a broader EU push against greenwashing, alongside the Green Claims Directive.
In practice, EmpCo bans a set of common but unsubstantiated claims and labels: generic terms like “eco-friendly” or “green” without proof, sustainability logos that aren’t backed by an approved certification scheme, and claims based on offsetting rather than actual emission reductions within a product’s own value chain. It also sets stricter rules for durability claims and how products are labelled as repairable.
The directive applies to any company communicating with EU consumers, in shops, on packaging, online, or in advertising, regardless of where the company is based. Member states are required to transpose it into national law, with enforcement following shortly after.
Download your EMPCO checklist
Six questions to aks yourself before publishing your claim.
An EmpCo (in company) training
The best way to avoid prohibited claims is to train your team on making the right claims. Our training is short and sharp: a 30-minute session that fits into a team meeting or kick-off, built around your sector and communication style. We start with the essentials of EmpCo and the related ACM/EU guidelines, then move quickly into examples: claims and labels that are common in your industry and how they hold up under the new rules. There’s room for questions throughout, so the session stays a conversation rather than a lecture.
Half day in-house training
For teams that want to go further, we also offer a half-day deep dive with hands-on case work, or a tailored Green Claims handbook that bundles the key rules and examples specific to your organisation into one practical reference.
What do we cover?
We keep it practical: plain language instead of legal jargon, real examples instead of theory. By the end of the session, your team can spot risky claims themselves, not just follow a checklist.
1
What EmpCo actually says
We translate the legal text into what it means for the claims, logos and language your teams use every day, without the legalese.
2
Why it applies to you
We connect the dots between the directive and your specific communication channels, from packaging and product pages to campaigns and social content.
3
What to change, and how
Using real (and recognisable) examples of claims that will no longer be allowed, we show what compliant alternatives look like, so the session lands as a practical toolkit, not a warning.
4
Next steps
We leave your team with a simple way to flag risky language before it goes live, so compliance becomes part of the everyday process, not an afterthought.
Why choose NEWKINDS for a training?
We’ve spent 15 years making sustainability tangible for 342 companies, offering services to measure, improve and show your sustainability, from strategy to certifications. Because we coach rather than take over, your team builds the knowledge to check claims independently.
Frequently asked questions about EmpCo - ECGT
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EmpCo entered into force at EU level, and member states must transpose it into national law, after which a transition period applies before enforcement begins. Exact dates vary by country, so it’s worth checking the status of implementation in the markets where you communicate.
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Yes. What matters is where your consumers are, not where your company is headquartered. If you communicate with consumers in the EU, in any language or channel, the directive applies to you.
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EmpCo bans specific misleading practices, generic unsubstantiated claims, unverified sustainability logos, offsetting-based claims, and misleading durability claims. The Green Claims Directive goes a step further, requiring companies to substantiate and verify any explicit environmental claim before making it. The two are designed to work together.
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No. EmpCo doesn’t ban sustainability claims altogether, it bans vague or unsubstantiated ones. Specific, evidenced claims (backed by data, a recognised certification, or a verified standard) can still be made. The training focuses on how to tell the difference.
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Yes. Many teams follow up the training with a practical claim review of packaging, web copy or campaign material, or opt for a tailored Green Claims handbook so the guidance stays close at hand after the session.