EmpCo future-performance claims

“Net zero by 2030” on a Shopify product page: EU future-performance claims need a plan and an outside check

Direct answer. A line such as “net zero by 2030” is a future environmental performance claim, and from 27 September 2026 it is misleading under the revised Unfair Commercial Practices Directive unless it rests on clear, objective, publicly available and verifiable commitments in a detailed and realistic implementation plan with measurable, time-bound targets, regularly verified by an independent third-party expert whose findings consumers can see. If you are unable to show that plan and that verification, remove the line or rewrite it as a statement of fact you can support today.

Green Claims Guard (Shopify App Store) flags green-claim wording and names the exact provision it cites. A future-performance line is wording you may want flagged and reviewed like any other. The app does not assess your plan or your verifier, and this page is not legal advice.

Related: CLPLens — Hazard pictograms on the product page, not only the parcel.

Free check first: Green claim wording self-check runs in your browser and sends nothing. Paste product copy and see which environmental wording to review.

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What counts as a future-performance claim

Directive (EU) 2024/825 adds a point to Article 6(2) of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive: making an environmental claim related to future environmental performance without the plan and verification set out above. The recitals describe climate claims that promise a transition to carbon or climate neutrality, or a similar objective, by a certain date. Typical store copy: “carbon neutral by 2035”, “zero-waste packaging by 2028”, “we are on the way to net zero”.

Source: Directive (EU) 2024/825 on EUR-Lex, Article 1(2)(b), and recital 4.

Case by case, not an automatic ban

This item sits in Article 6(2), which is assessed case by case. It is not on the always-unfair Annex I list. That differs from the offset rule, where a claim that a product is neutral or reduced in greenhouse-gas impact because of offsetting is banned in all circumstances: see carbon-neutral and offset claims. A future-performance line can also trip the offset rule if the plan is built on offsets, so check both.

The checklist before you keep the line

A public commitment with a clear, measurable target and a date.
A detailed, realistic implementation plan, with the resources allocated to it.
A published, verifiable record that consumers can find.
Regular verification by an independent third-party expert, with findings available to consumers.
The line on the page matches what the plan actually covers.

Install Green Claims Guard → scan product copy → review flags

Where these lines hide on a Shopify store

Product descriptions, the announcement bar, the About page, collection descriptions, product metafields and email or social copy pasted into the theme. Search your copy for dates and phrases such as “by 2030”, “on our way to”, “committed to”, and run a Green Claims Guard scan on the product copy. Review each flag and the provision it cites, then keep, rewrite or remove the line.

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If you are unable to show the plan

Replace the promise with something you can support today and say it specifically, for example the measured change you have already made. Specific, accurate statements are judged differently from open-ended pledges. Do not swap in a different slogan that makes the same promise.

Install Green Claims Guard → review the cited provision

Install Green Claims Guard, then re-scan

What this page is not

Not legal advice or an assessment of your plan.
Not a verification or audit service.
Not a substitute for checking national rules in the countries you sell to.

Not legal advice. Re-check the cited law and the current app page before you rely on this page.

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