The EU steps up the fight against greenwashing from 2026
• In 2024, the European Parliament adopted the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) directive, which amends existing legislation to ban unverified environmental claims and impose stricter product durability requirements from September 27, 2026.
• The text aims to protect European consumers against greenwashing and to clarify labeling, notably through official certification of eco-labels and independent verification of corporate climate plans.
• The ECGT directive aims to transform the regulatory framework to strengthen transparency, make corporate commitments more reliable and stimulate the circular economy, as part of a systemic ecological transition across the EU.
Source: ESG Today – "New EU Anti-Greenwashing Rules Enter into Force"
Sustainability professionals adopt AI but question its environmental cost
• The second edition of Ditto's AI x Sustainability Barometer, conducted among around a hundred sustainability and HSE professionals, showed that 93% of them now use an LLM, up from 80% in 2025.
• At the same time, environmental impact became the top barrier to AI adoption, cited by 75% of respondents, and 77% want companies to disclose the carbon footprint of their AI systems.
• Usage is growing faster than its framework: only 23% of respondents say their company has formalized an internal AI policy, and 93% have no approved budget for AI tools dedicated to their work.
Source: Ditto – "AI x Sustainability Barometer 2026: Where Do Sustainability Teams Stand with AI?"
Bpifrance insures high-carbon aircraft and cruise ships
• Acting on behalf of the French state, Bpifrance Assurance Export granted more than €6 billion in guarantees between 2025 and 2026 for the construction of CO2-emitting cruise ships and supported the export of kerosene-powered aircraft, without full disclosure of the carbon impacts or the environmental criteria applied.
• This public financial support favored assets with a heavy climate footprint, even though some contracts were exempted from environmental assessment despite national climate commitments.
• This policy locked in decades of emissions, in contradiction with carbon-neutrality targets and the principles of the Paris Agreement.
Source: Reporterre – "Paquebots, jets privés... Comment l’État garantit des décennies d’émissions carbonées"
Renewable energy jobs threatened as public support declines
• On September 29, 2026 in Paris, nearly 150 renewable energy employees demonstrated outside the SER conference to denounce the growing number of layoff plans and the deliberate cut in public support, affecting every segment, from large companies such as RWE, Valorem, Urbasolar and Voltalia to small businesses.
• The situation drew solidarity from union representatives, elected officials and employer organizations alike, who warned of job losses in a sector that generates significant economic benefits for local authorities.
• Facing the threat of a systemic shift, the main demand is long-term visibility and lasting public support, without which up to 80,000 direct jobs would be at risk.
Source: Reporterre – "Face aux plans sociaux, les salariés des énergies renouvelables de nouveau dans la rue"
Firefighters struggle to get their occupational cancers recognized
• French professional firefighters, exposed to toxic smoke and extreme temperatures, faced major difficulties in getting their cancers and poisonings recognized as occupational diseases, even though IARC has classified their exposure as carcinogenic since 2022.
• Unions and associations pointed to France lagging behind other countries and called for more cancers to be recognized, as well as better traceability of interventions and the products used.
• Despite social progress with the recognition of four cancers, administrative complexity persists, prompting organizations to call for national priority on firefighters' health and safety, notably during the September 29, 2026 demonstration.
Source: Vert le media – "Intoxications, cancers… Le parcours du combattant des pompiers pour faire reconnaitre leurs maladies professionnelles"
Climate-driven relocation is not a lasting solution
• Géraldine Molina, a CNRS researcher in Nantes, analyzed residential moves linked to heatwaves and stressed that moving to cooler areas was not a sufficient response to climate challenges.
• She warned of the consequences of such moves, notably land artificialization, higher greenhouse gas emissions and pressure on local housing markets, with a risk of pushing residents out.
• This highlighted the need for a systemic approach that combines changes in lifestyles with an overall regional plan.
Source: Le Monde – "Géraldine Molina, chercheuse au CNRS : Les déménagements liés à la chaleur pourraient déplacer les problèmes et accentuer l’injustice climatique"
Thousands in France call for climate emergency plans
• On September 26, 2026, several thousand people took part in 260 demonstrations across France to demand emergency measures against climate change, after a summer of record heat and wildfires in Western Europe.
• The organizers called for adaptation and mitigation plans, funded by a tax on the windfall profits of the fossil fuel and arms industries, as well as a wealth tax on the richest.
• The Minister for Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, is due to present a national adaptation plan to the Prime Minister, aimed in particular at strengthening natural risk management and action in business and agriculture.
Source: Le Monde – "Marches pour le climat : des milliers de manifestants partout en France après un été de tous les records"
Crédit Agricole bets on natural capital to green finance
• On September 28, 2026, Crédit Agricole announced the creation of Crédit Agricole Capital Naturel, a new division dedicated to preserving and restoring natural resources, with an initial focus on forests.
• The initiative offers advisory, financing, insurance and investment services to companies, investors, local authorities and owners of natural assets, building on the planned acquisition of EcoTree, currently under negotiation, and the launch of the Amundi Arbora Nova fund.
• Through this move, the group aims to strengthen its commitment to environmental sustainability and support European economic players in protecting natural capital.
Source: ESG Today – "Crédit Agricole Launches New Natural Capital Finance and Investment Business"
Procurement, a lever for sovereignty more than sustainability
• Facing geopolitical uncertainty, procurement departments strengthened their strategic role by securing supplies and diversifying suppliers, while traditional sustainability priorities lost ground.
• This repositioning increased organizations' resilience and sovereignty, with procurement now seen as essential to sustainable performance and risk management.
• However, sustainability criteria remain only partly built into procurement practices, limiting the potential for large-scale regulatory and environmental change.
Source: Novethic – "RSE : les achats s’imposent comme levier de souveraineté et de résilience"
Produrable 2026: sustainability in an age of trade-offs
• On September 30 and October 1, 2026, the 19th edition of Produrable, Europe's largest trade show for the sustainable economy and corporate sustainability, took place at the Palais des Congrès in Paris under the theme "Cultiver les équilibres" (Cultivating balance).
• Its six tracks, from biodiversity to finance and AI, debated the trade-offs organizations face: short and long term, competitiveness and planetary boundaries, artificial intelligence and human skills.
• Ditto was there, with a booth and two workshops, including a preview of its AI x Sustainability Barometer.
Source: Produrable – "Fil vert 2026 : Cultiver les équilibres"
