More than a legal requirement: How the ECGT changes how we speak about sustainability. 

The ECGT directive, which came into effect on 26 March 2024, will become enforceable in September this year. But most conversations about it frame it as a new compliance process to circumvent. 

But it’s more than that. 

The directive fundamentally alters how brands communicate about their products and their relation to sustainability, which means that anyone working in comms — whether agency, in-house or freelance — needs to be clear on how it will change the way they work.

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No more vibe-based claims

Ever used “Eco-friendly” or “sustainable” to promote a product? It might have been the last time you did so. 

For a long time, sustainability communications have operated in a largely unregulated space, where well-curated shades of green and impressive fonts and graphics were enough to hide the lack of evidence behind sustainability claims, resulting in what many refer to as greenwashing.

Impact was something performed, dressed up and made pretty, not something proven.

Introducing: the ECGT. The directive makes certain forms of sustainability storytelling, namely unverifiable, emotionally resonant and abstract claims, illegal. Gone are the times of claiming carbon neutrality for planting a tree, or “green” for using elements of recycled materials. The directive not only tightens legal loopholes but also brings all forms of brand communications under the spotlight. 

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The role of agencies

The rules are clear, and it’s up to us to implement them correctly. Creative teams can no longer claim artistic license or ignorance; we have to lead by example and be clear on what’s allowed and what's not.

From evidence requirements for any claims and clear implementation plans for future-looking promises to stricter frameworks for label designs, agencies will have to keep clients accountable and ensure their work doesn’t put them, or the client, at risk. 

But this also presents a great opportunity. When every brand is forced to substantiate and unify their claims, those with genuine impact can more easily break free from the noise. The demand for creatives who can translate complex impact reports into compelling content will increase. When each claim needs to be verifiable, substantiated and still sound appealing to the average consumer, brands will look to experienced creatives to build an approach that balances ECGT compliance with creativity. 

Rather than a race to see who can make vague claims the prettiest, we are entering a race to see who can use the directive to truly differentiate themselves as genuinely sustainable. 

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This isn’t news to us.

As members of the Ethical Agency Alliance, Creatives for Climate and signatories of the 1% for the Planet pledge, we know that real impact lies in evidence.

Powerful storytelling is built on specificity and human connection — acknowledging where you are, and where you are going without empty promises or overambitious claims. The ECGT doesn’t change this but makes it mandatory for everyone else to hold this view, too. 

The ECGT simply confirms what many of us have always known: good sustainability communication should always be rooted in verifiable, specific information that is honest about progress yet to be made. And making this a legal requirement opens the door for a new era of creative, interesting work that breaks us free from a landscape tinted by greenwashing.

So, If you’re a brand communicating to EU customers and you’re not sure where to start or how to approach this shift without using your brand identity, don’t worry.

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We get the space, and we’d love to help.

Say hello@dante.media and let’s see how we can help!