„Substantiation"
Annex I No. 4a UCPD as amended by EmpCo (EU 2024/825), UWG § 5b
What does it mean?
Substantiation refers to the obligation to underpin any environmental claim with concrete, verifiable evidence. The EmpCo Directive (EU 2024/825) significantly tightens these requirements, as generic statements such as "environmentally friendly" or "sustainable" will be considered misleading from 27 September 2026 onwards if not appropriately substantiated. This is based on § 5b UWG, which sanctions the omission of material information as an unfair commercial practice. The evidence must be presented directly and in an easily accessible manner on the same website on which the claim is made.
Typical phrasings
- 'Biodegradable': Provide OECD 301 certificate and specify test conditions.
- 'Recycled': State the proportion of recycled material and link to certificate (e.g. DIN CERTCO).
- 'Carbon-neutral shipping': Disclose calculation methodology and name offset projects.
Required evidence
- ISO 14064-1 verification
- EU Ecolabel (Flower)
- Blue Angel (RAL-UZ-No.)
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.