Sustainability is increasingly important to travellers, and tourism businesses are using environmental claims to communicate their efforts, differentiate their offerings and demonstrate their commitment to responsible tourism. But how can businesses ensure these claims are credible, clear and compliant with evolving regulations?
Why do green claims matter?
The EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (referred to as EmpCo) introduces new requirements around environmental claims and sustainability-related marketing. For tourism businesses operating in, or marketing to, EU markets, this is an opportunity to review how sustainability is communicated and ensure claims are supported by credible evidence.
What is EmpCo, and why does it matter for tourism?
The EU’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo) aims to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions by strengthening rules against misleading environmental claims and sustainability-related marketing. It introduces stricter requirements for how businesses communicate environmental benefits and sustainability credentials, including the use of environmental labels and claims about future environmental performance.
While the directive applies across a range of sectors, it is particularly relevant to tourism businesses that promote their sustainability credentials to attract customers. Accommodation providers, tour operators, destination management companies and activity providers may make claims about environmentally friendly products, energy efficiency, waste reduction, carbon emissions or their wider environmental impact. Under EmpCo, these claims need to be clear, accurate and supported by appropriate evidence.
The directive applies from 27 September 2026, making it important for tourism businesses to review their existing marketing materials, websites and other consumer-facing communications to identify potential compliance gaps and ensure their environmental claims meet the applicable requirements.
What is the difference between a compliant and non-compliant claim?
Historically, tourism businesses have relied on sustainability certifications, third-party verifications and internal sustainability initiatives to demonstrate their environmental credentials. However, the landscape includes a wide range of labels and schemes, with varying criteria, levels of verification and transparency. Holding a certification or implementing sustainability measures does not automatically mean that every environmental claim a business makes is compliant.
EmpCo introduces stricter requirements for environmental marketing, targeting claims that are vague, misleading or cannot be adequately substantiated. The aim is to help consumers distinguish between genuine environmental improvements and messaging that overstates a business's sustainability performance.
For tourism businesses, this means looking beyond whether a sustainability initiative exists and considering how its benefits are described, what evidence supports the claim, and whether the wording gives customers an accurate impression.
Examples of non-compliant statements or claims:
“This is a carbon-neutral holiday”
“We are a sustainable tour operator”
“Our accommodation is 100% green”
Mention of an in-house eco-certified badge
Instead, make claims compliant by:
Sharing specifics about measured carbon emissions along with reduction measures. (Here you can also make mention of investments in carbon projects)
Communicating year-on-year progress on reduction targets backed by verifiable percentages or data
Elaborating on how tours, activities and practices are sustainable (i.e. Trekking tours employ 80% of local guides, 25% of accommodation restaurant ingredients are sourced from an on-site garden, 40% of energy is sourced via renewable technologies)
Using a reputable certification or verification to legitimize your claims (GSTC-recognized certifications are the most trusted and robust schemes)
How Sea Going Green can help: The EMPCo Scan
Understanding the new requirements is one thing, but knowing where your business may need to make changes is another.
Sea Going Green can help by conducting an EMPCo Scan to help assess your existing environmental claims and identify potential compliance gaps across marketing materials and consumer-facing communications. The scan will review how sustainability claims are being presented, the evidence supporting them, and where wording may need to be clarified or strengthened to align with applicable requirements.
This process will identify:
Potential compliance gaps: Flagging claims that may be vague, misleading or insufficiently substantiated.
Opportunities to strengthen claims: Identifying where more specific wording, supporting data or additional evidence may be needed.
Areas for further review: Highlighting claims, sustainability labels or communications that may require closer assessment against EmpCo requirements.
Improvements to Monitoring and Evaluation: Reviewing data gathering, monitoring and evaluation processes, assessing and developing indicators to strengthen claims while closing operational sustainability gaps.
Want to know if your green claims are ready for EMPCo?
Sea Going Green’s EMPCo Scan reviews your existing sustainability communications to identify potential compliance issues and highlight where environmental claims may need clearer wording or stronger supporting evidence. The scan helps you understand which claims may need attention, what needs to change and where to focus your efforts.
Get in touch with Sea Going Green to discuss an EMPCo Scan for your business and take practical steps towards clearer and compliant green claims.
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Sustainability is increasingly important to travellers, and tourism businesses are using environmental claims to communicate their efforts, differentiate their offerings and demonstrate their commitment to responsible tourism. But how can businesses ensure these claims are credible, clear and compliant with evolving regulations? Read more in this week’s blog.