EDANA, the voice of nonwovens, together with a broad coalition of leading European business associations, has issued a joint statement urging the European Commission to introduce transitional provisions—specifically a “grandfathering clause”—to the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive.
While fully supporting the Directive’s objectives to combat greenwashing and ensure transparent sustainability information for consumers, the coalition warns that the current interpretation of the rules risks creating massive waste, economic disruption, and legal uncertainty.
Key Concerns
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Retroactive Application: According to the Commission’s FAQ, all environmental claims must comply with the Directive by September 2026, regardless of when products were manufactured or stocked. Businesses argue this contradicts EU principles of legal certainty and non-retroactivity, as confirmed by case law (e.g., Case C-181/20 VYSOČINA WIND; Case C-15/19 A.M.A.).
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Environmental Impact: Millions of goods lawfully placed on the market risk being withdrawn, leading to the destruction of perfectly functional products—directly contradicting the EU’s own Ecodesign and sustainability goals.
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Economic Burden: Corrective measures such as stickering, repackaging, or providing point-of-sale information could cost individual companies from hundreds of thousands to millions of euros, while generating additional waste and logistical challenges. In some cases, repackaging may even pose health and safety risks.
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Responsibility Confusion: It is equally unclear who bears responsibility for verifying compliance of claims on products already on shelves: While traders would need to verify compliance of each item, only producers can confirm compliance under the new rules, in accordance with recitals 19, 20 and 24 of the Directive regarding the responsibilities of sellers. This will create considerable disruption to production and distribution timelines, impacting product availability and market stability.
The Call to Action
To safeguard consumer trust and support the green transition without disproportionate burdens, the coalition urges the European Commission to:
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Introduce a grandfathering clause allowing products lawfully placed on the market before the Directive’s application date to continue being sold.
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Develop a coordinated action plan with businesses, consumer groups, and stakeholders to manage legacy stock effectively and sustainably.
Without such measures, the coalition warns of severe consequences for competitiveness, sustainability objectives, and consumer access to information on innovation.
About the Coalition
The joint statement is co-signed by EDANA (The voice of nonwovens) alongside AIM (European Brands Association), A.I.S.E., APPLIA (Home Appliance Europe), BusinessEurope, Cosmetics Europe, Ecommerce Europe, EuroChambres, EuroCommerce, EUROPEN, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), FoodDrinkEurope, Independent Retail Europe, OPTA Europe, SMEunited, Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA).
Together, these associations represent thousands of companies across Europe, united in their call for pragmatic implementation of the ECGT Directive.
