top of page
GREEN CLAIMS ADVICE AND EMPCO COMPLIANCE FOR FASHION, LIFESTYLE AND CONSUMER BRANDS
Green claims you can make with confidence, with the proof in order.
Green claims are what you say about the environmental and social side of your products and your company: on your website, labels and packaging, in campaigns and reports. This is my specialism. I review your claims against the EU rules (EmpCo) and international guidance, propose rewrites, and write the guide and approval steps your teams work with. You get claims you can prove, and marketing, product and sales teams who know what they can say.
You may recognise this
The new EU rules apply
Since 27 September 2026 the EmpCo rules apply to what you tell consumers in the EU. You want to know which of your texts, labels and campaign lines still hold, and what to change first.
Your brand story has gaps
Because of the new rules you removed claims from your website, labels or campaigns, and parts of your brand and product story went with them. You want to fill that gap with a story that fits your brand and meets the rules.
You took your claims down to be safe
You removed most of your sustainability claims, because you were not sure how to word them, or whether your proof was enough. Your team did real work, and hardly anyone outside the company knows about it. You want to talk about it again, with confidence.
If it is required by law, it is not a sustainability benefit. If you can’t prove it, don’t claim it. And if you can prove it, say it clearly.
The rules exist so customers can trust what you say. For a brand that does real work, that is good news: a specific claim with proof is worth more than a general word. I help you find what you do beyond the law, and say exactly that.
What EmpCo asks of your claims
Be specific
General words such as “eco-friendly”, “green” or “conscious” need proof of recognised excellent environmental performance. Say what you did instead: which material, which share, measured how.
Use labels with independent checks
A sustainability label has to come from a certification scheme with independent verification, or from a public authority. A label you made yourself no longer counts on its own.
Talk about what you reduced
You can’t claim a product is climate neutral or has less impact because of offsetting. You can talk about what you reduced.
Keep the claim to its scope
A claim about one part of a product, such as the fabric, can’t be presented as a claim about the whole product.
Back future goals with a plan
A target such as “net zero by 2030” needs a detailed, realistic plan with independent monitoring.
Treat the law as the baseline
What the law requires of every company can’t be presented as your sustainability benefit.
What the work looks like
PHASE 1
Your claims in one overview
I collect your claims from your website, product pages, labels, packaging, reports and campaigns, and check each one against EmpCo, the guidance of the Dutch regulator ACM and the rules in the other markets where you sell. You see which claims hold, which need proof and which need new wording.
PHASE 2
Rewrites and proof
For every claim that needs work I propose a rewrite in your brand voice, and I tell you which proof you need and where to find it: a certificate, supplier data or a calculation. Some claims get stronger along the way, because the proof was there all the time.
PHASE 3
A system your teams can use
If you want, I write a green claims guide or playbook for your company and set up the approval steps: who checks a new claim, when in the product calendar, and where the proof is kept. Marketing, product and sales then work from the same source.
You get
An overview of your claims, with an assessment per claim
Rewrites you can use straight away
The proof you need per claim, and where to find it
Optional: a green claims guide or playbook and approval steps for new claims
Format
A kick-off, a review of your materials, one or two sessions to go through the findings with marketing and product, and a final overview. Online or at your office, in Dutch or English.
Duration
A review of your website and product texts usually takes two to four weeks. A guide or playbook adds another two to four weeks.
Pricing
A fixed fee for the agreed scope, in the offer you receive before we start. The scope depends on how many channels and products we look at. A check of a single campaign or report can be a small, separate assignment.
My review is expert advice on your claims. Where you need a legal opinion, I recommend involving a lawyer.
With AI: I can set up an AI agent that does a first check of new product texts against the claims rules, so your team can screen a text before it goes live. A person makes the final call on every claim.
A small claim with proof is worth more than a big word without it.
Brands I helped with their claims
PVH
A MANUAL ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS AND CLAIMS FOR TOMMY HILFIGER AND CALVIN KLEIN, WITH CERTIFICATION MANAGEMENT: ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH FOR DESIGN, PRODUCT AND MARKETING
For ISKO, the denim textile manufacturer, I did claims audits and wrote internal guidance, so its sales team can help brand customers communicate about its innovations in line with EU rules. At Kuyichi, the organic denim pioneer, green claims are part of my work in the team. I also review claims outside fashion, most recently for a pharmaceutical company.
FAQ
Want a second look at your claims?
Book a 20-minute call, or send me a few of your claims by email. I will tell you where you stand and what a review would cover. Or write to hello@thesustainabilityclub.com.
bottom of page