Green Claims Checker | Free Greenwashing Risk Scan

GREEN CLAIMS RULES ARE TIGHTENING WORLDWIDE

Regulators across major markets are increasing scrutiny of environmental marketing. The main risk areas include vague or absolute claims, wording that extends beyond the available evidence, hidden conditions, misleading comparisons, unsupported future commitments and carbon claims that fail to distinguish emissions reductions from offsetting.

Authorities may consider not only the words used, but also the overall impression created by product names, badges, imagery, colours, omissions and qualifications. Potential outcomes include advertising withdrawals, corrective notices, investigations, undertakings, financial penalties and court proceedings.

EUROPEAN UNION — EMPCO AND ECGT

The EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, commonly called EmpCo or ECGT, applies through national measures from 27 September 2026.

Generic environmental claims such as “green”, “eco-friendly” or “environmentally friendly” may be prohibited where recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to the claim cannot be demonstrated.

The rules also address sustainability labels that are not based on an approved certification scheme or established by a public authority.

Claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive greenhouse-gas impact cannot be based on offsetting alone.

Future environmental-performance claims must be supported by clear, objective, public and verifiable commitments, a realistic implementation plan and appropriate independent review.

Environmental comparisons must be clear, fair and properly supported.

Product names, brand names, badges, colours, imagery and other presentation may also contribute to a misleading environmental impression.

Claims such as “100% recycled”, “recyclable”, “biodegradable” or “compostable” should clearly identify what the claim applies to, the relevant percentage or measurement basis and any practical conditions or limitations.

UNITED KINGDOM

The CMA Green Claims Code requires environmental claims to be truthful, accurate, clear, unambiguous and properly substantiated.

Important information must not be omitted. Comparisons must be fair and meaningful, and the complete lifecycle should be considered where relevant.

Broad claims such as “green”, “sustainable” or “eco-friendly” may suggest that the entire product, service or business has little or no negative environmental impact. That wider impression must be capable of substantiation.

The Advertising Standards Authority also applies the CAP and BCAP Codes to environmental advertising, including carbon-neutral and net-zero claims.

For financial services, the FCA anti-greenwashing rule requires sustainability-related claims made by authorised firms about products or services to be consistent with their actual characteristics and to be fair, clear and not misleading.

UNITED STATES

The FTC Green Guides caution against unqualified general environmental-benefit claims because consumers may understand them as promising broad or far-reaching environmental advantages.

Claims should clearly identify the specific environmental attribute, whether it applies to the product, packaging, service or one component, the percentage or amount involved, any important conditions or limitations and the evidence supporting both express and reasonably implied messages.

An unqualified recyclable claim should not be made unless appropriate recycling facilities are available to a substantial majority of consumers or communities where the product is sold. Otherwise, the limitation should be clearly disclosed.

Recycled-content claims should identify the relevant percentage and whether the claim applies to the complete product, its packaging or a particular component.

The FTC Green Guides provide guidance on avoiding deceptive marketing claims. They are not a certification or regulatory approval system.

CANADA

Canada’s Competition Act prohibits false or misleading representations, including misleading environmental claims and greenwashing.

Claims are assessed according to both their literal wording and the general impression they create.

Performance claims about a product must be supported by adequate and proper testing completed before the claim is made.

Environmental claims about a business, product, service or activity should be supported by reliable evidence that matches the exact wording, scope, timeframe and subject of the claim.

Businesses should consider the complete presentation, including text, images, symbols, labels, packaging and online content.

Canadian legislation was amended again in March 2026. The specific requirement for business-level environmental claims to use an internationally recognised methodology was removed. Private access to the Competition Tribunal for greenwashing-related cases was also eliminated.

However, this did not make unsupported or misleading environmental claims acceptable. The Competition Bureau can still investigate and take enforcement action under the Competition Act.

AUSTRALIA

Under the Australian Consumer Law, environmental and sustainability claims must be truthful, accurate and supported by reasonable evidence.

The ACCC advises businesses to consider the overall impression created, important information that has been omitted, visual elements, colours and logos, whether qualifications are clear and prominent and whether any conditions must be met before the claimed environmental benefit exists.

Businesses should also consider whether future environmental representations have reasonable grounds and whether broad wording exaggerates the actual benefit.

A statement may still mislead even when one part of it is technically correct. The claim must reflect the complete environmental impression that consumers are likely to understand.

For financial products and investment strategies, ASIC also scrutinises misleading sustainability, ethical and ESG representations and expects claims to have a reasonable basis.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand’s Commerce Commission Environmental Claims Guidelines apply alongside the Fair Trading Act.

Environmental claims should be truthful, accurate, specific, scientifically sound, capable of substantiation, expressed in plain language and free from exaggeration.

Businesses should take particular care with claims involving recyclability, biodegradability, recycled content, natural materials, carbon neutrality and sustainability.

Tests, surveys, certifications and other evidence must genuinely support the representation being made.

Claims may be misleading where they are technically true but omit important conditions or create a broader impression than the evidence supports.

INDIA

India’s Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing or Misleading Environmental Claims, 2024 were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority.

Environmental claims should be transparent, accurate and adequately substantiated.

Businesses should not use broad environmental language in a way that hides important limitations, selectively presents favourable information or creates a misleading environmental impression.

Material information should be disclosed clearly with the claim or through an accessible method such as a webpage or QR code where appropriate.

Environmental statements should be supported by verifiable evidence and should accurately identify the scope of the claimed benefit.

PRACTICAL GREEN CLAIMS GUARDRAILS

Be specific.

State the precise environmental feature, what part of the product or business it applies to, the percentage or amount, the relevant geography and the applicable timeframe.

Avoid unsupported absolutes.

Claims such as “100%”, “zero impact”, “completely sustainable” or “emissions-free” require evidence covering the full meaning consumers are likely to take from them.

Separate reductions from offsets.

Explain actual emissions reductions, remaining emissions, the role of offsets and the basis on which any climate claim is calculated.

Disclose conditions.

Identify limits involving recycling access, industrial composting, disposal facilities, renewable-energy certificates, testing methods or required consumer actions.

Define comparisons.

State what is being compared, the baseline date, the measurement method and whether the comparison is like-for-like.

Support future commitments.

Net-zero and other forward-looking claims should be backed by a credible plan, measurable milestones, allocated resources and appropriate review arrangements.

Show the evidence.

Link to relevant methods, test results, lifecycle assessments, certifications and supporting documents while maintaining an internal evidence record.

HOW THE GREEN CLAIMS CHECKER HELPS

EcoAppraise is more than a greenwashing keyword checker.

It does not simply highlight words such as “green”, “eco-friendly”, “sustainable”, “100% recycled”, “carbon neutral” or “net zero”.

It examines the claim’s context, apparent scope, supporting evidence, qualifications, disclosures, implied messages and jurisdictional risk.

The Green Claims Checker identifies explicit and implied environmental claims.

It flags potentially misleading wording and unsupported environmental impressions.

It distinguishes between product, packaging, component, service and company-level claims.

It examines evidence, scope, lifecycle boundaries and disclosure gaps.

It maps findings to EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Indian expectations.

It includes EmpCo and ECGT-related risk screening.

It suggests clearer wording and practical disclosure language.

It supports webpages, pasted text and eligible PDF documents.

It produces a private report with PDF and DOCX download options.

Eligible edited content can be rechecked free for 24 hours.

When a claim has been revised, EcoAppraise can provide a deeper evidence-aware assessment and, where supported, a verification reference and audit record.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Green Claims Checker is an automated pre-publication risk-screening tool. It is not legal advice, certification or regulatory approval.

Final publication and compliance decisions remain with the organisation and its legal, compliance, scientific or technical advisers.