Green Claims packaging future is still very much on course
Many brands and producers of packaged goods may have breathed a sigh of relief after the European Commission withdrew its proposal to combat “greenwashing” in late June 2025.
This may have led some producers to conclude that the European Union’s Green Claims Directive (GCD) could be scrapped entirely, and that the pushback against over-reaching green claims might be over once and for all.
But while the move might appear to ease regulatory pressures, now is not the time to celebrate.
Temporary pause, not a cancellation
The directive hasn’t been axed, merely paused. The delay reflects broader EU concerns about the regulatory burden on small businesses – but it doesn’t mean that greenwashing has been put on the back burner.
The wider regulatory tide is still flowing firmly in one direction: toward stricter scrutiny of environmental claims on packaging.
A crackdown is still imminent.
Green claims are not going out of style
A companion directive, the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT) remains very much on course and is set to come into effect in 2026.
This legislation will make it effectively illegal to make vague or unsubstantiated green claims. Words like “eco-friendly,” “green,” or “climate neutral” won’t be allowed on packaging unless brands can provide rigorous evidence to back them up.
What this means for product brands
The days of relying on aspirational language alone to win eco-conscious shoppers are numbered.
No longer will green packaging with a farm fresh look and feel and snappy slogans like ‘good for you, good for the environment’ be the way you can show your commitment to the green agenda.
Green statements on packaging and products will need clear and justifiable proof.
If you can’t back it up with robust data, you can’t say it. That goes for every SKU, market and language variant across the European marketplace.
Even if the GCD never re-emerges in its current form, the regulatory trajectory across Europe and beyond is already locked in.
Greenwashing packaging and labelling is an ever-more legitimate target.
It’s not simply a matter of compliance. It’s about brand trust, reputational risk and long-term competitiveness in an increasingly eco-literate marketplace.
Managing packaging claims at scale
For global and regional CPG manufacturers, the implications are profound. Product portfolios can span hundreds, sometimes thousands, of SKUs. This makes the task of managing, updating, and monitoring environmental claims across packaging a logistical and operational challenge.
Most businesses today still rely on fragmented tools and spreadsheets. It leaves little visibility into where and how environmental claims are being used. Without a centralised system teams risk falling out of sync. That makes it almost impossible to guarantee the consistency and accuracy needed for compliance.
Why you need a centralised packaging management platform
To navigate this tightening regulatory environment, brands need a connected, centralised platform that brings together marketing, product development, compliance, and packaging teams.
Having a unified repository for product data, labelling rules, and claim substantiation documents provides you with a single version of the truth.
This can help you ensure that every green claim is accurate and legally defensible. It also allows teams to respond quickly to regulatory shifts, market demands, and internal innovation timelines.
You can’t defend what you can’t see
The EU may have hit the pause button on one directive, but the journey to a greener future hasn’t stalled. In fact, it’s accelerating.
CPG businesses need to act now to embed the right systems, processes, and governance before 2026.
In the era of eco-accountability, clarity, control and collaboration aren’t optional — they’re essential.
Put simply, if you can’t see your packaging claims in real time, with the data to back them up accessible easily and centrally, then you are in no position to manage or defend them.
