New Rules On Green Claims To Take Effect In Ireland – What Do Businesses Need To Know?

From 27 September 2026, businesses making environmental claims in Ireland will face increased regulatory scrutiny. The European Union (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition) Regulations 2026 transpose Directive (EU) 2024/825 as regards empowering consumers for the green transition through better protection against unfair practices and through better information (Green Transition Directive) into Irish law and introduce new rules aimed at tackling greenwashing and improving consumer information.

Environmental claims that were previously commonplace may now expose organisations to regulatory challenge, reputational damage, and consumer complaints if they are not specific, accurate, and properly substantiated. A statement such as “eco-friendly” or “green product” may no longer be sufficient unless it is supported by robust evidence and presented in a way that consumers can understand.

New legislation gives the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) stronger enforcement tools to tackle misleading sustainability and green claims, with potential consequences including fines, criminal sanctions, corrective statements and reputational damage.

Until now, there has been no specific legislative regime to regulate green claims in Ireland so enforcement in this space has been limited. Under the new rules, however we expect an increase in CCPC enforcement activity.

Key changes

The three key changes introduced by this legislation are:

1. False, misleading, or deceptive information

• It will now constitute a misleading commercial practice if consumers are provided with false, deceptive or misleading information in relation to:

(a) the environmental, or social characteristics; or

(b) circularity aspects (such as durability, reparability, or recyclability) of a product that is likely to cause the average consumer to make a decision that they would not otherwise make.

• For example, if a trader claims a product is made from “100% sustainable materials” when it is not and the average consumer would not have purchased the product if they had known, the trader will have committed a misleading commercial practice.

1. New misleading commercial practice offences

• The Regulations introduce two new specific offences for misleading commercial practices: environmental claims related to future environmental performance and advertising of benefits that are irrelevant.
• As a result, a trader will commit a misleading commercial practice if it:

(a) makes a claim about the future environmental performance of a product without publicly available, verifiable, and independent data to back it up; or

(b) advertises benefits to consumers that are irrelevant and do not result from any feature of the product or business.

• These provisions are designed to ensure environmental claims are supported by credible evidence, rather than broad or aspirational statements.

1. Prohibited commercial practices

• The Regulations also expand the list of prohibited commercial practices to include practices such as:

(a) displaying a sustainability label that is not based on a certification scheme or not established by a public body;

(b) making a claim, based on the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions, that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive impact on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions; or

(c) misstating, or making false claims in relation to, the durability of a product.

Stronger enforcement tools and significant penalties

• From 27 September 2026, traders engaging in any of the misleading or prohibited commercial practices set out above will commit an offence and may face criminal penalties ranging from a fine of up to EUR4,000 and/or up to six months’ imprisonment to a fine of up to EUR100,000 and/or up to 24 months’ imprisonment, as well as daily fines for continuing offences.
• The CCPC will also have a broader enforcement toolkit. In addition to fines and imprisonment, a conviction can expose traders to an order to pay the CCPC’s costs, consumer compensation orders, and an order to publish a corrective statement.
• The CCPC may also issue compliance notices and fixed payment notices. As these measures may appear in the regulator’s public enforcement database, the reputational consequences of enforcement may be as significant as the legal penalties.

What this means for businesses

• When the Regulations begin to apply, businesses should expect environmental claims to be closely scrutinised by the CCPC. As a proactive regulator, the CCPC is likely to use its enforcement powers to take action against traders that contravene the new rules.
• In practice, businesses should review not only the wording of environmental and sustainability claims, but also the evidence base, approval process, and records behind them.
• Claims made in marketing materials, product labels, websites, packaging, and other consumer-facing communications should be accurate, specific, and properly substantiated by verifiable and independent data.
• Manufacturers and retailers may also need to update how they communicate product durability, reparability, and guarantee rights to consumers. The European Commission has published updated Q&As to support application of the new rules.
• Beyond regulatory enforcement, inaccurate environmental claims can undermine consumer trust and attract public scrutiny at a time when sustainability credentials are increasingly influencing purchasing decisions.

A wider shift in EU sustainability regulation

• The Green Transition Directive forms part of a broader transformation of sustainability regulation across the EU, with regulatory focus moving from broad sustainability messaging to provable, consumer-facing information.
• Alongside new rules on green claims, businesses are also adapting to significant legislative developments affecting product design, reparability, and packaging, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and the Common Rules Promoting the Repair of Goods Directive.
• As a result, businesses selling products in the EU need to think not only about how products are designed and manufactured, but also how they are described, marketed, and sold.
• The key question is no longer whether businesses make sustainability claims, but whether those claims can be clearly evidenced, accurately communicated, and defended if challenged.
• With the new rules taking effect on 27 September 2026 and the CCPC expected to take an active approach to enforcement, businesses should now review environmental and sustainability claims across marketing, packaging, websites, and other consumer-facing materials, and ensure that each claim is specific, accurate, and supported by evidence that can be produced if challenged.