Uncertainty Persists On The Future Of The Green Claims Directive

• Published date: 10 December 2025
• Subject Matter: Corporate/Commercial Law, Environment, Corporate and Company Law, Contracts and Commercial Law, Environmental Law
• Law Firm: Dillon Eustace
• Author: Mr John O'Riordan and Neil Cowhey

In March 2023, the European Commission (Commission) detailed a proposal for a green claims directive (GCD Proposal), which intended to impose minimum requirements on companies who voluntarily make environmental claims about products or services (for further detail see our two part series on Greenwashing here and here).

However, on 20 June 2025, the Commission announced the withdrawal of the GCD Proposal and uncertainly remains as to its future status.

The GCD Proposal

The GCD Proposal was intended to deal with the issue of greenwashing, a practice which includes the overstating of a company's environmental record, misrepresenting the sustainability of its corporate practices or claiming a product as environmentally friendly without any verifiable evidence.

The GCD Proposal focused on the principles of:

• Substantiation: claims would need to be based on scientific evidence, with any offsets reported in a transparent manner.
• Communication: claims would have to be accompanied by information...