Legislative Decree no. 30 of 20 February 2026 transposes EU Directive 2024/825 (known as Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition) into Italian law and rewrites the rules on environmental communication. The decree has been in force since 24 March 2026, but the provisions will become fully operational from 27 September 2026. This window is the time companies have to get their claims in order.

What really changes

Greenwashing stops being a grey area interpreted on a case-by-case basis by the AGCM (Italian Competition Authority) and becomes a codified offence within the Consumer Code (Legislative Decree 206/2005). The decree intervenes on articles 18, 21, 22 and 23, introduces new definitions, and extends the list of commercial practices considered misleading.

The fundamental novelty is singular. An environmental claim only holds up if it is specific, verifiable, and refers to the actual scope to which it applies. Everything else is at risk of dispute.

The blacklist of banned claims

Article 23 expands the list of practices that are "misleading in all circumstances", those banned without the need for further assessment:

→ Generic environmental claims without verifiable evidence. "Ecological product", "green company", "environmentally friendly" on their own are no longer enough.

→ Sustainability labels not based on a recognised certification scheme or not established by a public authority. Stop to self-made brands.

→ Climate neutrality claims based solely on carbon offsetting. Buying carbon credits no longer authorises declaring a product to have a neutral impact.

→ Comparative claims ("more sustainable than the competition") lacking precise data on how and when the comparison was made.

The penalties

The AGCM is the watchdog. Administrative fines range from €5,000 up to €10 million, depending on the severity and duration of the infringement. For cross-border infringements or those widespread across several EU Member States, the cap rises to 4% of annual turnover.

In addition to the fine comes the reputational blow. The AGCM can impose the obligation of correction and the publication of the measure at the company's expense. For many brands, that damage to image exceeds the value of the fine itself. In 2025, the Authority already targeted names like Shein and San Benedetto with these powers.

Not just claims, also durability and reparability

The decree does not only affect communication. In distance selling, the vendor must inform the consumer about the reparability index of the product and the availability of spare parts. Commercial guarantees of durability are also introduced, with a harmonised label, making the manufacturer directly liable to the consumer. The message is consistent. The sustainability of a product must be documented across its entire life cycle, not entrusted to a slogan.

What companies must do now

The window until 27 September serves to work on three concrete fronts:

→ Audit of existing claims. Map every environmental statement on products, packaging, website, marketing materials, and contracts, and check for each whether it is specific and supported by data.

→ Documentary evidence. Every claim that survives the audit must rest on a measured basis, such as a carbon footprint calculated according to recognised standards or a third-party certification.

→ An environmental communication policy. Internal rules on who approves a claim, with which criteria, and with what evidence, before it goes online.

This is the point. Environmental communication enters the compliance areas, alongside privacy and health and safety at work. And every claim only holds up if there is a measured - not declared - figure behind it.

Where a verifiable claim starts

The heart of the new regime is data traceability. A company that wants to communicate its environmental performance risk-free must first measure it: GHG emissions calculated on actual consumption, not estimated at a glance.

Envify calculates the carbon footprint of companies from operational data and produces reports compliant with reporting standards. Thus, every environmental claim starts from a verifiable number, not an adjective.

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