Belgium introduces stricter controls on environmental marketing claims

Companies selling goods and services to Belgian consumers face tighter restrictions on environmental marketing from 27 September 2026, following the implementation of new EU consumer-protection requirements. The changes increase the evidence businesses need when presenting products or corporate activities as environmentally responsible and introduce additional information requirements for retailers.

The Belgian legislation implements Directive (EU) 2024/825, which seeks to prevent consumers from being influenced by environmental statements that are vague, incomplete or insufficiently supported. Environmental and social performance, together with factors including durability, repairability and recyclability, are now explicitly included among the product characteristics that cannot be presented to consumers in a misleading way.

Broad environmental descriptions will consequently become more difficult to use without supporting evidence. Companies will also face restrictions on sustainability labels that are not backed by an appropriate certification system. Where an environmental advantage relates only to one element of a product or business, marketing cannot give consumers the impression that the same benefit applies to the entire product or company.

The rules also address the use of carbon offsets in consumer marketing. Businesses will no longer be permitted to present products as having a neutral or beneficial greenhouse-gas impact where that conclusion is based on offsetting emissions. Other prohibited practices include unsupported claims about how long products will last, describing products as repairable when they are not and encouraging consumers to replace consumable components earlier than technically necessary.

The changes have particular relevance for retailers and other consumer-facing companies increasingly incorporating sustainability into their brands, stores and product marketing. For the commercial property industry, the legislation does not create new environmental standards for buildings themselves, but occupiers and businesses operating from retail properties will need to examine how environmental credentials are communicated to customers. Similar care may be necessary where marketing combines product, store and wider corporate sustainability claims.

Retailers will also have to provide more information before purchases are completed. Consumers must receive clearer details about statutory product guarantees, while goods containing digital components and digital services will require information about the period for which manufacturers intend to provide software updates. Information about repairability, spare-part availability, expected costs and access to repair instructions will also have to be provided where applicable.

Belgium’s implementation illustrates how environmental claims are increasingly moving from largely discretionary corporate communication into an area governed by consumer law. For retailers, brands and other businesses communicating directly with consumers, sustainability statements will therefore require closer coordination between marketing, legal and ESG teams, with greater emphasis on claims that can be demonstrated rather than broad environmental positioning.

Source: CMS