When new rules arrive, the safest-looking move is often to say nothing at all. That is one response now appearing in sustainability communication. As the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) Directive applies from 27 September 2026, some brands are pulling environmental claims from packaging and campaigns rather than risk getting them wrong, a practice often called "greenhushing".
Why silence feels safe
The logic is easy to follow. Fewer claims may appear to mean less exposure. With enforcement tightening across the EU, going quiet can feel like sensible risk management.
What greenhushing quietly costs you
But staying silent can mean giving up three things.
- The first is credit: you keep paying for genuine environmental improvements and stop earning any commercial return on them.
- The second is differentiation: customers looking for products with verifiable environmental benefits can no longer tell you apart from anyone else.
- The third is trust, because attention does not vanish when you fall quiet.
Attention may shift to organisations that continue to communicate with credibility. Silence can reduce one type of risk, but it can also leave space for others.
What the rules actually reward
Here is the point most reactions miss. The Directive does not ban sustainability communication. It restricts specific practices, including unsupported generic claims, non-compliant sustainability labels, product-level offset-based "carbon neutral" claims, and future environmental claims without a credible plan. Specific, substantiated claims can still be made when they meet the applicable rules. The message is clear: proof matters.
The credible middle path
The strongest response sits between greenwashing and greenhushing: make fewer claims and be ready to substantiate each one. In practice, that means knowing exactly which claims you use today, backing them with appropriate evidence and clear supporting information, using compliant labels, and putting governance in place so that what you publish remains accurate over time. Handled well, this turns a compliance obligation into a basis for clearer, more credible communication.
Why this matters now
The EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive strengthens the European framework against greenwashing. The risk is no longer only about overclaiming. It is also about withdrawing from a conversation that still matters to your customers.
Turn compliance into credibility
Brands that use 27 September 2026 as a reason to improve, rather than go quiet, will be better placed to earn customer trust. Not sure which of your claims are supported by the evidence? We help you assess your exposure.
Preparing for the EU’s new rules on environmental claims
Read more
