Free guide · November 2026
The 2026 Green Claims Checklist
What to say with confidence under the new EU, Canadian and US rules. Run every claim through this list before it goes on a pack, a page or a proposal.
Everywhere
Start with these five
- 01Use specific, measured claims: name the number, the unit and the baseline year.
- 02Say exactly what the claim covers: one product, one site, one stage, or the whole business.
- 03Link every number to its source document, page and method.
- 04Compare like with like, and name what you are comparing against.
- 05Pair every future target with a dated plan and the steps already taken.
European Union
Empowering Consumers Directive, in force since 27 September 2026
- 06Back general words like "eco-friendly", "green" or "sustainable" with recognised excellent environmental performance, such as an EU Ecolabel.
- 07Base climate claims about a product on its own measured footprint, kept separate from any offsets you buy.
- 08Use sustainability labels that come from a certification scheme or a public authority.
- 09Match the claim to its scope: a benefit in one part of a product describes that part.
- 10Support net zero and other future claims with a detailed implementation plan that an independent expert checks regularly.
Canada
Competition Act environmental claims
- 11Test a product's environmental benefit adequately and properly before you claim it.
- 12Hold adequate and proper substantiation for claims about your business or its activities. Since March 2026 this no longer has to follow an internationally recognised methodology, but the evidence is still required.
- 13Keep the evidence on file and ready to share if the Competition Bureau asks.
United States
FTC Green Guides and California
- 14Qualify broad environmental claims with the specific benefit, clearly and close to the claim.
- 15Hold competent and reliable scientific evidence for each claim before you make it.
- 16Call packaging recyclable when recycling facilities are available to a substantial majority of the people who buy it.
- 17Describe carbon offsets accurately, including when the reductions will actually happen.
- 18Selling in California and claiming carbon neutral or net zero? Publish the supporting details on your website, as AB 1305 requires.
Want your claims checked against this list?
Send us your published report. You get a one-page review within 5 business days.
General guidance current as of November 2026, not legal advice. Rules change and depend on your markets; confirm specific claims with qualified counsel.