ICCA x EarthCheck: What Europe’s New Consumer Protection Rules Mean for the Global Events Industry

A plain-English Guide to the "Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition" Directive

What this means for the events industry

If your organisation has ever described a venue, a congress, an incentive programme, or a destination as “sustainable," “eco-friendly,"  or “green” in a bid document, on your website, in a sponsor deck, or on any booking platform, you need to read this.

Europe has changed the rules on what organisations are permitted to say about their environmental credentials. From 27 September 2026, vague "green language" is a legal risk.

The European Union audited green claims made to consumers across its member countries and found that more than half of such claims were vague or misleading, and that nearly 40% had no supporting evidence at all. 

The new policy addressing this is the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, passed in February 2024. From September 2026 it applies to any organisation, anywhere in the world, that markets to consumers in EU countries.

That includes venues bidding for international congresses, PCOs pitching European associations, DMOs marketing destinations to European delegates, and associations whose members are headquartered across the EU.

What the Directive Requires

The core principle is straightforward: if you make an environmental claim to a consumer or client, it must be specific, substantiated, and not misleading. Vague language that creates a positive environmental impression without evidence is no longer permitted.

One detail worth noting: the Directive’s definition of an "environmental claim" is deliberately broad. It covers not just words but images, colours, logos, and brand names that create an environmental impression. A green leaf graphic combined with sustainability language could fall within scope even if the text alone would not.

Does this apply to my organisation if I’m based outside of the EU?

If you market to European clients, delegates, or consumers - YES. The Directive applies to any organisation making claims to EU-based audiences, regardless of where that organisation is headquartered. It does not matter whether you operate from Amman, Cape Town, Melbourne, or Buenos Aires: if EU consumers or clients see your claim, the law applies.

In practice, this means it applies to:

• Your website, if accessible to EU audiences and containing sustainability language
• Bid documents and pitch materials submitted to EU-based associations or corporates
• Event websites, post-event reports, and client communications
• International booking and venue-finding platforms
• Destination marketing campaigns targeting European source markets
• Social media and co-branded content with international reach

Claims that are now high-risk

These are the types of statements most likely to attract scrutiny. If any appear in your current marketing, bid documents, or event communications, they require immediate review.

What happens if you get it wrong

The EU has modelled the directive’s enforcement approach on its data privacy rules, the GDPR, which signals the seriousness of intent. The consequences can include:

• Fines of up to 4% of annual turnover in the relevant EU member state
• Mandatory withdrawal of claims from all marketing materials
• Exclusion from public procurement and government-contracted event programmes
• Mandatory corrective statements published to consumers
• Reputational damage in key European source markets

Enforcement happens through each country’s national regulator, and some will be faster and more active than others. Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the Nordic countries all have strong consumer protection enforcement traditions, meaniong if these are your key markets, the risk is real.

Enforcement: How EU Law Works

The directive sets the standard every EU country must enforce, but each country writes its own national law. This is called transposition: the process of a country turning a directive into national law. The transposition deadline was 27 March 2026, and national laws take effect and apply to organisations from 27 September 2026.

Enforcement does not come from the EU, but from the national consumer protection authority in the country where your client, delegate, or sponsor is based. This means each EU country has its own regulator, its own penalty framework, and its own enforcement history.

In practice, the rules will be broadly consistent because they all derive from the same directive, but there will be differences in penalties, enforcement bodies, and the test applied when assessing a claim. Those differences matter if you are actively marketing in specific EU markets.

What to do now: a practical checklist

September 2026 is not far away. Here is what to work through before then.

Step 1: Audit every sustainability claim you are currently making

Go through your website, bid documents, booking platform profiles, event reports, and social media and write down every environmental or sustainability claim you make, including imagery that could create a green impression. For each claim, ask: if a regulator in Germany or France asked me to prove this, could I?

Step 2: Replace vague language with specific, evidenced statements

Generic green language must be changed unless it can be substantiated.

• Instead of “sustainable venue,"  reference the independent certification or standard you are verified against.
• Instead of “eco-friendly event," describe the specific environmental practices evidenced by third-party data.
• If you cannot make a claim specific and evidenced, remove it until you can.

Step 3: Review your certifications and labels

Only sustainability labels from recognised, independently verified certification schemes are permitted. Check every label, badge or logo you display:

• Is it from a recognised scheme with independent monitoring?
• Is your certification current? When does it expire?
• Have you created any in-house “green” marks that will need to be removed?

Self-assessment is not sufficient under the directive. If you do not currently hold an independently verified sustainability certification, now is the time to explore your options. Look for schemes that are independently audited, built on recognised methodologies, and require regular review.

Step 4: Take a hard look at any carbon or climate claims

Carbon claims carry the highest risk: you cannot claim carbon neutrality based on offset purchases alone. Claims about future climate performance must be backed by a specific, time-bound plan verified by an independent third party. If your current carbon claims are based primarily on offset programmes, you need to either build an evidenced emissions reduction narrative or remove those claims until you can.

Step 5: Seek independent verification

Remember, Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive is not enforced at the EU level: it is enforced through each country’s national transposition. The penalties, the regulator, and the specific test applied will differ among countries.

If you operate in EU markets, it is worth understanding how each of those countries has transposed the directive into national law.

Your industry body, legal adviser, or sustainability certification provider can also assist with market-specific compliance guidance as more information becomes available through 2026.

This is not just a European call to action 

The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive sits within a global regulatory wave that is moving in the same direction. Consumer protection authorities on every continent are intensifying scrutiny of green claims, issuing guidance, and taking enforcement action.

United Kingdom 

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority gained significant new direct enforcement powers in April 2025 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, including the ability to levy fines of up to 10% of a company’s worldwide annual turnover for breaches of consumer protection law covering misleading green claims. In January 2026, the CMA published new guidance specifically targeting supply chain environmental claims, and the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints against businesses making unsubstantiated claims including “sustainable” and “eco” labels. 

Canada 

Canada’s enforcement-based approach to greenwashing is accelerating, with public consultation on new draft enforcement guidelines and the introduction of a private right of action that allows individuals to bring greenwashing claims directly. This creates exposure beyond regulatory investigation. 

Singapore and Asia-Pacific 

In October 2025, Singapore’s Competition and Consumer Commission released dedicated greenwashing guidelines for businesses, following a 2022 study finding more than half of online product claims were vague or insufficiently evidenced. Singapore is positioning itself as a regional hub for sustainable business, and the expectation of substantiated green claims is growing quickly. Japan has also tightened its consumer advertising requirements for environmental and ESG claims, with the Consumer Affairs Agency strengthening enforcement from October 2024. South Korea revised its environmental labelling and advertising guidelines in 2023 with an anticipated tightening of rules on exaggerated claims. 

International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network 

A global study coordinated by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) surveyed 500 websites internationally and found that 40% appeared to be using tactics potentially constituting misleading environmental claims under applicable consumer law. ICPEN coordinates enforcement cooperation between regulators in more than 65 countries. The direction of travel is consistent: if you make a green claim, you need to be able to prove it. 

Who in the events industry is affected

The Directive applies broadly. Each part of the events sector carries specific exposure.

Venue managers and owners

Venues marketing to international event organisers through websites, sales collateral, or bid responses to EU-based clients are directly in scope. Sustainability claims, green logos, and certification references must all meet the required standard.

Destination management organisations and convention bureaux

International destination marketing campaigns targeting European source markets must meet the same evidential standard as claims made by individual businesses. Green destination imagery combined with sustainability language can together constitute a generic environmental claim under the directive.

Professional conference organisers

PCOs carry the greatest influence over total event carbon footprint. Pitch documents, event websites, post-event reports, and client communications are all in scope. Clients are increasingly requiring verified sustainability credentials at bid stage.

Associations

For associations bidding for international events, sustainability is no longer a differentiator in a host city bid. It is a baseline expectation. Sustainability claims in bid documents or member communications without independent verification are exposed under the Directive if those materials reach EU audiences.

About EarthCheck

EarthCheck supports destinations, venues and event organisations through industry-leading certification, training and advisory services. Through ICCA’s partnership with EarthCheck, all ICCA members receive 10% off Destination and Business Certification services. eventcheck@earthcheck.org