Climate claims
“Carbon neutral”, “zero carbon” and climate-neutral product claims: what changes in 2026?
Climate claims are a good example of why brands need to separate current French law from the new EU rule: the two frameworks do not work in exactly the same way.
Updated 8 August 2026
Short answer
France currently allows certain “carbon neutral” or equivalent advertising claims only if detailed supporting information is made publicly available. From 27 September 2026, EU consumer law prohibits claims that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive greenhouse-gas impact when that claim is based on offsetting emissions outside the product’s value chain.
France today: a conditional regime, not a free pass
French environmental law already regulates advertising claims such as “carbon neutral”, “zero carbon”, “zero carbon footprint”, “fully offset” and equivalent wording.
The advertiser must make specific information available, including a lifecycle greenhouse-gas assessment, a quantified reduction pathway and information on how residual emissions are compensated. That regime remains in force as of this update.
From 27 September 2026: offsets cannot make the product “neutral”
Directive 2024/825 adds to the list of practices prohibited in all circumstances any claim, based on greenhouse-gas offsetting, that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive climate impact.
The core distinction is between reducing impacts within the product lifecycle and compensating for emissions elsewhere. A company may still communicate its investment in climate projects, provided that communication does not turn the investment into a misleading claim about the product itself.
“We finance verified climate projects outside our value chain” and “this product is carbon neutral” are materially different messages.
Product claim, corporate action and future target are different questions
- Product claim based on external offsets: directly affected by the new EU prohibition.
- Verified reduction within the product lifecycle: potentially permissible if accurate and properly substantiated.
- Corporate funding of climate projects: can be communicated without implying false product neutrality.
- Future target such as “net zero by 2030”: subject to separate requirements for future environmental performance claims.
France is still aligning its national regime with the EU rule
The French transposition bill is intended to adapt the current national framework to Directive 2024/825. It has not yet completed the parliamentary process as of this update.
Campaigns running around September 2026 should therefore be checked against the French text actually in force at the date of publication.
Evidence checklist
- Does the statement concern a product, service, company or future target?
- Is the claimed benefit based on in-value-chain reductions or external credits?
- Is the emissions boundary clearly defined?
- Are the method, baseline year and reporting period documented?
- Can consumers distinguish actual reductions from financial contributions?
- For a future target, is there a credible implementation and verification process?