„Circular Economy"
Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo, § 5 Abs. 2 UWG
What does it mean?
'Circular economy' is not a per se prohibition, but is subject to the obligation of substantiation pursuant to § 5 Abs. 2 UWG and Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo. A blanket claim to 'live circular economy' is inadmissible. Concrete, measurable indicators for circular economy processes must be demonstrated, such as the return rate of a take-back system, the proportion of recycled materials (according to ISO 14021) or a Cradle to Cradle certification. EU Taxonomy compliance (CE.7) can serve as supplementary evidence, but should always be verified against the current version of the Taxonomy Regulation. Without such evidence, the statement is misleading and constitutes an unfair commercial practice.
Typical phrasings
- 'We live circular economy'
- 'Circular Economy Solutions'
- 'Circular economy as the core of our business model'
Required evidence
- Cradle to Cradle Certified
- Take-back system with documented return rate
- EU Ecolabel (for products)
- ISO 14021 (recycled content)
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."Empcora is a pure checking and documentation service and provides general information only on the legal situation based on the EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825) and the unfair-competition / consumer-protection law transposing it in your jurisdiction including references. This is not individual legal advice and includes neither the rewriting nor the drafting of texts. No liability or warranty is assumed for the correctness, completeness or up-to-dateness of the analysis, nor for any legal consequences. The legal assessment of an individual case rests with an admitted law firm or lawyer.