Measurable Impact with Plastic Credits
Due to the EmpCo Directive, environmental performance must become measurable and transparent. With Plastic Credits, impact can be tracked and communicated in compliance with EmpCo.
EmpCo rules for environmental claims
Many companies still advertise with claims such as “sustainable,” “climate-neutral,” or “environmentally friendly.” These kinds of broad, vague statements will become a problem from September 2026.
Under the Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo), environmental claims may only be used if they are specific, measurable, and transparently documented. Sustainability can no longer simply be communicated – it must be demonstrably implemented and clearly substantiated.
In practical terms, this means:
- Vague terms like “green” or “sustainable” are no longer permissible without evidence
- Claims about an entire product are prohibited if they only apply in part
- “Climate-neutral” claims are critical if they rely primarily on offsetting
The bottom line: if you want to communicate sustainability, you have to make it measurable.
The solution: Plastic Credits from everwave
At everwave, we combine real environmental impact with ready-to-use, compliant marketing content.
Through our Plastic Credits and a transparent track-and-trace process, it is possible to precisely track where and how plastic is collected and processed. Each credit is assigned a unique identification number, along with data on collection time, location, and downstream processing – effectively eliminating double counting.
Our Plastic Credits are certified according to the Ocean Bound Plastic Standard, ensuring that the collected plastic originates from highly affected, coastal regions with insufficient waste management infrastructure. The process is fully traceable, externally verified, and adheres to social standards across the value chain.
The result: real impact – measurable, transparent, and ready to communicate.
The tracking process
1. Collection
The collected waste is brought to our zero-waste centers and photographed there. The coordinates of the collection point, pictures of the collected waste and before and after pictures of the collection point are transferred to our system. A duplicate check can be used to rule out duplicates.
2. Weighing & Sorting
The collected waste is weighed at the Zero Waste Center and the weight is also entered into our system. The collected waste is sorted and dried for further processing.
3. Further processing & Plastic Credits
The sorted plastic is sent to the various partners for further processing. The respective partners report how many kilograms they have processed – so any discrepancies can be identified. If all the data matches, our Plastic Credits are generated from the kilograms of plastic waste processed.
Each Plastic Credit is provided with an individual ID. This creates an individual, specifically traceable Plastic Credit – double counting is excluded.
Transparent environmental protection with Plastic Credits
The Plastic Credits system makes environmental protection transparent and measurable. Every credit can be tracked through our internal company system. In this way, environmental protection can be clearly communicated and complies with the EmpCo standard.
