How the ECGT check works
This tool runs marketing copy through a deterministic rule engine that mirrors Directive EU 2024/825 and 27 national transpositions. It is a decision aid, not a certification.
Directive timeline
- Directive: Directive (EU) 2024/825 — ECGT / EmpCo (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition)
- Amends: UCPD 2005/29/EC, Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU
- Transposition deadline: 2026-03-27
- National application date: 2026-09-27
- From 27-Sep-2026 national transpositions apply to B2C commercial practices in the EU/EEA. The transposition deadline (27-Mar-2026) has passed and 20 of 27 Member States missed it — the Commission opened infringement proceedings (letters of formal notice) on 28-May-2026. The UCPD baseline remains enforceable today via national authorities regardless of ECGT transposition status.
Detection rules
Each detected claim is categorised, then evaluated against ECGT articles plus the selected member state's transposition law.
- carbon_offset: Climate-neutral, carbon-neutral, net-zero (present tense), CO2-compensated.
- future_commitment: Forward-looking neutrality commitments with a target year.
- sustainability_label: Self-made or unverified eco-labels and sustainability seals.
- generic_environmental: Vague generic environmental claims (eco-friendly, sustainable, natural, biodegradable).
- comparative: Comparative claims without disclosed methodology and baseline.
- absolute_claim: Absolute claims (100%, fully, zero) without qualifying scope.
- lifecycle: Lifecycle assessment language (typically PASS when substantiated + certified).
Recognised certification schemes
Any sustainability-label claim referencing a scheme outside this whitelist is treated as self-made and flagged BANNED.
- EU Ecolabel
- Nordic Swan
- Nordic Swan Ecolabel
- Blue Angel
- Der Blaue Engel
- EU Organic
- Cradle to Cradle Certified
- FSC
- PEFC
- EMAS
- Energy Star
- EPEAT
- TCO Certified
- GOTS
- OEKO-TEX
- Rainforest Alliance
- Fairtrade
- MSC
- ASC
National transposition table
Statuses are indicative — verify locally before relying on an exposure date. The transposition deadline (2026-03-27) has passed and 20 of 27 Member States missed it: on 2026-05-28 the European Commission opened infringement proceedings (letters of formal notice). Status below is derived from that notice — a State in the notice is shown pending (failed to communicate complete transposition; the UCPD baseline still applies); a State not in the notice is shown enacted. France is among the 20 (its DDADUE bill is pending before the Assemblée nationale); Germany has transposed via UWG amendments.
| State | Operative / baseline law | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT | UWG-Novelle 2026 (Bundesgesetz gegen unlauteren Wettbewerb) — pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| BE | Code de droit économique, Livre VI — pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| BG | Закон за защита на потребителите — pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| CY | Unfair Commercial Practices Law 103(I)/2007 — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| CZ | Zákon č. 634/1992 Sb. o ochraně spotřebitele — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| DE | UWG (Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb) — ECGT amendments adopted | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice; transposed via UWG amendments. |
| DK | Markedsføringsloven — ECGT amendments communicated | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice. |
| EE | Tarbijakaitseseadus — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| ES | Ley 3/1991 de Competencia Desleal — proyecto pendiente | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| FI | Kuluttajansuojalaki — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| FR | Projet de loi DDADUE (transpose Dir 2024/825) — devant l'Assemblée nationale | pending | Among the 20 States under Commission infringement (formal notice 28-May-2026); DDADUE bill suspended/pending, NOT enacted. The pre-ECGT misleading-practices baseline is Art. L121-2 Code de la consommation; the AGEC ban on 'carbone neutre' (Art. L541-9-1 Code de l'environnement, since 2023) is a separate instrument. |
| GR | Ν. 2251/1994 — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| HR | Zakon o zaštiti potrošača — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| HU | 2008. évi XLVII. törvény — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| IE | Consumer Protection Act 2007 — ECGT amendment communicated | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice. |
| IT | Codice del Consumo (D.Lgs. 206/2005) — ECGT amendment communicated | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice. |
| LT | Nesąžiningos komercinės veiklos vartotojams draudimo įstatymas — communicated | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice. |
| LU | Code de la consommation — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| LV | Negodīgas komercprakses aizlieguma likums — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| MT | Consumer Affairs Act, Cap. 378 — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| NL | Boek 6 BW (afd. 3A oneerlijke handelspraktijken) — concept pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| PL | Ustawa o przeciwdziałaniu nieuczciwym praktykom rynkowym — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| PT | DL n.º 57/2008 — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| RO | Legea nr. 363/2007 — ECGT amendment communicated | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice. |
| SE | Marknadsföringslagen — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| SI | Zakon o varstvu potrošnikov pred nepoštenimi poslovnimi praksami — amendment pending | pending | Formal notice 28-May-2026; UCPD baseline applies meanwhile. |
| SK | Zákon č. 250/2007 Z. z. — ECGT amendment communicated | enacted | Not in the 28-May-2026 infringement notice. |
What this tool does NOT do
It does not certify compliance. It does not bind enforcement authorities. It does not replace counsel review for high-risk campaigns. Pattern detection is conservative — false positives in the FLAG band are expected and intentional.
Ruleset version: 2026.06 · verified 2026-06-13