Greenwashing
Greenwashing is presenting a company, product or service as more environmentally friendly than the evidence supports, through vague claims, selective information or labels that nobody checked.
Since September 27, 2026, EU law tackles it directly. The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive (Directive (EU) 2024/825) bans generic environmental claims ("eco-friendly", "green") that the company cannot back with recognized excellent environmental performance, sustainability labels not based on a certification scheme or set by public authorities, and claims that a product has a neutral or reduced climate impact because of carbon offsets.
In France, the Climate and Resilience Law of 2021 had already restricted "carbon neutral" advertising claims. The safe approach is the same everywhere: make specific claims, back each one with data you can show, and say what the claim covers.