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Verifiable. Transparent. Traceable.
The EmpCo Directive requires companies to communicate their environmental impact in a measurable and transparent way. With Plastic Credits, environmental impact can be clearly documented, independently verified, and communicated in line with EmpCo requirements.
Many companies promote themselves with claims such as “sustainable”, “climate neutral”, or “environmentally friendly”. Exactly these kinds of broad claims will become problematic from September 2026 onwards.
Under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo), environmental claims may only be used if they are supported by specific, measurable, and transparent evidence. In the future, sustainability can no longer simply be asserted. It must be demonstrably implemented and properly documented.
Companies that want to communicate sustainability must be able to measure, document, and substantiate it.
Vague terms such as “green” or “sustainable” are no longer permitted without substantiation.
Claims about an entire product are prohibited if they only apply to certain aspects of that product.
“Climate neutral” and “plastic neutral”claims become particularly problematic when they are based primarily on carbon offsetting.
The transition period is running. Companies that fail to adapt their communication in time risk:
Warnings and fines as enforcement becomes stricter
Reputational damage following public criticism of greenwashing
Loss of trust among increasingly critical consumers
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The sooner you review your claims, the more time you have to make well-founded adjustments.
Want to know which specific claims your company needs to revise now? Use our EmpCo Check to get an automated analysis of the current claims on your website.
Our Plastic Credits connect real environmental impact with transparent documentation. They meet the requirements of the EmpCo Directive and are based on plastic waste that has actually been collected.
One Plastic Credit equals 1 kg of waste collected, sorted and processed from rivers and waterways around the world. With Plastic Credits, companies create a measurable impact – because Plastic Credits meet the EmpCo requirements:Â
Each Plastic Credit is based on plastic waste collected in real operations. Waste is documented and recorded with exact coordinates at the collection point. This shows where the waste was collected, when collection took place and what quantities were recorded.
After collection, materials are sorted and processed at everwave Zero-Waste Centers and prepared for further processing. Every processing step is documented digitally and recorded in the digital tracking system. This creates a complete record and rules out double counting.
Each Plastic Credit receives its own unique ID. This allows every Credit to be tracked, checked and documented individually. Its impact can therefore be traced and audited at any time.
The collected waste is brought to our Zero-Waste Centers and photographed there. The coordinates of the collection site, images of the collected waste and before-and-after pictures of the site are logged in our system. A duplicate check rules out double-counting.
At the Zero-Waste Center, the collected waste is weighed and the weight is also logged in our system. For further processing, the collected waste is sorted and dried.
The sorted plastic goes to our various partners for further processing. Each partner reports how many kilograms they have processed, so any discrepancies can be identified. Once all the data matches, the processed kilograms of plastic waste become our Plastic Credits.
Measurable environmental action: Documented collection and processing of plastic wasteÂ
Transparency: complete documentation of every process stepÂ
Traceability: geodata, collection sites and unique Credit IDsÂ
Measurability: every collected and processed amount of plastic is recorded, double counting excluded
Credible communication: Evidence instead of vague environmental promises
The transition period is running out. Find out how your company can create measurable impact with Plastic Credits and prepare for the requirements of the EmpCo Directive.
Book your consultation here:Â
Our Plastic Credits are built on a transparent and traceable tracking system. Every Credit can be traced seamlessly from the collection site through sorting to processing. That gives you solid data and transparent evidence to support credible, compliant sustainability communication.
No. Plastic Credits do not replace measures to avoid or reduce your own plastic use. They let companies create additional, measurable environmental impact and tackle plastic pollution where it originates. Your communication should always be based on transparent, traceable evidence of the actual impact.
Every Plastic Credit is given a unique identification number and is documented in our tracking system. This allows every Credit to be traced seamlessly – from the collection site through processing to issuance. This guarantees a clear assignment and rules out double counting.
The EmpCo Directive (“Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition”) tightens the requirements for environmental and sustainability claims. Companies now have to make their environmental claims transparent, traceable and backed by evidence. General statements like “sustainable” or “environmentally friendly” are no longer allowed without supporting evidence.
The EmpCo Directive is currently being transposed into national law (in Germany, through the UWG – the Act Against Unfair Competition). This means: from the deadline onward, vague green claims open the door to costly cease-and-desist warnings from competitors and consumer protection organizations. Systematic violations can also trigger regulatory fines of up to 4% of annual revenue across the EU.
