What Are the New EU Green Claims Rules?
From 27 September 2026, laws introduced under the European Union’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, commonly called EmpCo, will begin to be enforced.
The purpose is simple: to make sustainability communications more accurate, informative and useful for consumers.
Or, in plain English, to crack down on greenwashing.
What Is Greenwashing in Tourism?
Greenwashing is when marketing makes a business, product or service appear more environmentally responsible than it really is.
It can include vague language, selective information, unsupported promises, self-created green badges or broad claims that sound impressive but do not tell visitors what the business has actually done.
Think:
“Eco-friendly.”
“Green.”
“Sustainable.”
“Climate friendly.”
“Good for the planet.”
Lovely words.
But what do they actually mean?
Under the new rules, many generic environmental claims will be prohibited except in limited circumstances.
It will no longer be enough to scatter a few green leaves across a website, add the word “eco” to an experience and hope nobody asks too many questions.
How Does EmpCo Affect Australian Tourism Operators?
The directive applies to commercial practices within the European Union and is primarily concerned with information directed at consumers.
Australian tourism operators should pay particular attention if they actively target EU consumers by:
- working with EU wholesalers or inbound distribution partners
- advertising to European markets
- participating in global distribution programs
- listing accommodation or tourism products on international platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb that promote them to European travellers
- creating campaigns, packages or content for EU consumers
- selling tourism experiences directly into European markets
If European consumers simply find your Australian website on their own, the position is less straightforward. However, Tourism Australia recommends reviewing your communications if you have a substantial European customer base or want your marketing to remain relevant and credible to that audience.
And there is another reason to do it.
Australia already has consumer protection laws covering misleading environmental claims. The ACCC has also published guidance for businesses making environmental claims.
The Australian and EU approaches share the same broad principle: if you say it, you need to be able to support it.
However, complying with Australian guidance may not be enough to satisfy all of the EU’s more prescriptive requirements.
For Australian tourism, the changes mean:
- generic claims such as “eco”, “green” and “sustainable” may be prohibited in EU-facing communications
- claims must be specific and supported by evidence
- the benefit described must match the actual scale of the action
- sustainability labels must come from qualifying third-party certification schemes
- claims based on carbon offsets cannot suggest that a product or service is carbon neutral, climate positive or environmentally beneficial
- future sustainability targets need realistic plans, resources, timeframes and independent verification
- comparisons must explain what is being compared and how
- images, colours, icons, branding and labels can contribute to a misleading overall impression
- penalties will be determined by individual EU countries and may include financial penalties, published findings and orders to correct the breach
How to Make Credible Sustainability Claims
This does not mean tourism operators should stop talking about sustainability.
Quite the opposite.
The directive encourages operators to keep communicating, but to do so clearly, credibly and meaningfully.
Instead of saying:
“We are an eco-friendly accommodation provider.”
Say what you actually do:
“Solar power supplied 70% of our electricity during the last financial year.”
Instead of:
“We protect the local environment.”
Say:
“We have placed more than 1,000 hectares of native vegetation under a formal conservation program.”
Instead of:
“We are committed to reducing waste.”
Say:
“We removed single-use water bottles from our guest rooms, avoiding approximately 8,000 bottles last year.”
Specific.
Measurable.
Defensible.
Far more compelling.
How to Prepare for the EU Green Claims Rules
To help Australian operators navigate these changes, Tourism Australia, Austrade and the State and Territory Tourism Organisations have released Empowering Consumers for Australian Tourism. The practical guide explains who the directive applies to, compares the Australian and EU approaches to environmental claims and includes a three-step checklist to help tourism businesses review their communications.
The guidance builds on Tourism Australia’s Green is Our Gold initiative, which unites the industry around a shared vision to protect Australia’s natural environments, cultures and communities.
While Green is Our Gold encourages tourism businesses to take meaningful action and share responsible visitor messages, this new guidance takes the next step by helping operators communicate their sustainability work clearly, credibly and with evidence.
Tourism Australia has developed a practical three-step checklist.
1. Audit Your Tourism Marketing and Communications
Check every place where environmental or social claims may appear, including:
- your website
- social media content
- ATDW profile
- booking platforms
- OTA and wholesaler listings
- brochures and promotional material
- visitor guides and itineraries
- advertising campaigns
- brand positioning
- influencer and sponsored content
- photography, video and other visual assets
- trade materials and product manuals
Do not look only at the words.
Consider the overall impression created by your images, colours, symbols, labels and branding.
A green leaf, wildlife photograph or self-created badge may contribute to a sustainability claim even when the accompanying words are carefully chosen.
2. Replace Broad Environmental Claims with Evidence
For every sustainability statement, ask:
- What action have we taken?
- What impact or outcome did it achieve?
- How can we demonstrate it if asked?
- Does the claim accurately reflect the scale of the benefit?
- Would a visitor understand exactly what we have done?
Gather the evidence supporting each claim. This might include invoices, energy bills, consumption data, waste records, supplier information, policies, conservation agreements, photographs, reports or certification documents.
3. Keep Sharing Your Sustainability Story
Do not fall into the trap of green-hushing and stop talking about sustainability altogether.
Share the work you are doing.
Use everyday language, real examples, authentic photographs and measurable outcomes.
Connect your environmental and social initiatives to the things visitors value about your destination or experience.
The goal is not silence. It is credibility.
Review the Environmental Claims in Your ATDW Profile
ATDW listings can reach European travellers through a wide distribution network.
Review your product description, image captions and alt text. Remove or rewrite unsupported terms such as “eco-friendly”, “green” and “sustainable”.
Then make sure the wording on your website, social channels, booking platforms and trade materials tells the same story.
A compliant ATDW profile can be undone by an old “100% eco-friendly” slogan hiding on your website.
Review your ATDW profile for the EU rules. There is good news for accredited tourism businesses.
The Quality Tourism Framework meets the directive’s definition of a certification scheme. It provides third-party verification, defined requirements, independent assessment and processes for managing non-compliance.
This can provide a credible foundation for verified sustainability communications.
However, certification is not an automatic guarantee that every claim you make will comply.
You still need to:
- use your certification within its intended scope
- display current credentials correctly
- explain what the certification actually covers
- ensure your individual claims are accurate and supported
- avoid suggesting that accreditation proves something it has not assessed
Is Your Tourism Marketing Ready for September 2026?
Please don’t leave this until 26 September.
If your tourism business attracts European visitors, works with inbound operators or distributes its information through ATDW, start reviewing your environmental and social claims now.
Not because sustainability has suddenly become another compliance box to tick.
- Because honest operators deserve to stand apart from businesses making claims they cannot support.
- Because visitors deserve accurate information.
- And because the environmental and social work being done across Australian tourism is often genuinely impressive.
We don’t need to exaggerate it.
We need to measure it, substantiate it and communicate it properly.
Because when a claim is true, specific and supported by evidence, it is not just safer. It is a much better story.
