Italy Begins Enforcing Anti-Greenwashing Rules on Sunday

Italy will begin enforcing new anti-greenwashing rules on Sunday, Sept. 27, in a move that tightens limits on how companies describe the environmental and sustainability features of their products.

The measures stem from European Directive 825 of 2024 and were incorporated into Italian law through Legislative Decree No. 30 of Feb. 20, 2026, which inserted the new provisions into the country’s Consumer Code. The change was highlighted by Confcommercio Trentino in an analysis published on its website.

Under the new framework, greenwashing is defined as commercial practices that can mislead consumers about the environmental and sustainability characteristics of products. The reform is also intended to improve the quality and transparency of information given to consumers before they make a purchase.

The new rules cover environmental claims, sustainability labels, statements about the environmental characteristics of goods, and information related to durability, repairability and product guarantees. Together, those areas touch some of the most common ways companies market products as more responsible or more sustainable than competing alternatives.

The change comes as regulators across Europe increase pressure on businesses to support environmental claims with clear and reliable information. In practice, companies operating in Italy will need to pay closer attention to the wording they use in advertising, packaging, online product descriptions and other sales materials if those messages refer to environmental benefits or sustainability performance.

The rules are likely to matter across a wide range of consumer sectors, from household goods to food and drink. For beverage producers and brands, including wineries, brewers and spirits companies, the new standards could mean a closer review of label language, promotional campaigns and sustainability-related seals or symbols used on bottles, cans and retail materials. Claims tied to farming practices, packaging, carbon impact or broader environmental commitments may draw more scrutiny if they are vague, overly broad or not supported by verifiable information.

Retailers and distributors that sell those products may also need to review the claims presented to customers before purchase, especially in e-commerce listings and point-of-sale materials. Because the reform focuses on pre-purchase information, businesses may need to make sure that environmental messaging is consistent across product labels, websites, digital marketplaces and in-store promotion.

The inclusion of durability, repairability and guarantee information shows that the new rules are not limited to broad sustainability slogans. They also reach concrete product characteristics that can influence buying decisions. While those elements are more directly associated with many manufactured goods, the broader principle is the same: information presented to consumers must be clear enough to avoid creating a misleading environmental impression.

Italy’s adoption of the rules through its Consumer Code gives the measure a direct role in consumer protection, not only in corporate communications strategy. That raises the stakes for brands that have used environmental messaging as a selling point, especially in crowded markets where sustainability language has become more common.

Confcommercio Trentino said the reform is aimed at improving both transparency and the overall quality of information available before consumers buy a product, adding another layer of oversight to a marketing area that has become increasingly important for companies seeking to appeal to environmentally conscious buyers.