EDANA, the voice of nonwovens, alongside a coalition of leading European business associations, has issued a joint statement urging the European Commission to introduce a “grandfathering clause” to the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive. The coalition warns that without transitional provisions for products already lawfully placed on the market, the new rules could inadvertently lead to massive waste and economic disruption.

While the signatories fully support the directive’s objective to combat greenwashing and provide accurate sustainability information, they are deeply concerned by the current interpretation of the rules. According to a recent Commission FAQ, any environmental claim must comply with the new Directive by September 2026, regardless of when the product was manufactured or stocked.

Key concerns include

• Retroactive Application: The current interpretation forces immediate compliance for existing stock, contradicting EU principles of legal certainty and non-retroactivity.

• Environmental Impact: Millions of goods lawfully placed on the market risk being withdrawn, leading to the destruction of perfectly functional products—directly contradicting the EU’s own Ecodesign and sustainability goals.

• Economic Burden: Corrective measures, such as stickering or repackaging,are logistically challenging and could cost individual companies from a few hundred thousand to millions of euros.

To avoid these outcomes while still supporting the Directive’s goals, the industry urges the Commission to introduce a “grandfathering” clause allowing products lawfully placed on the market before the application date to be sold through, and to develop a coordinated action plan to manage legacy stock effectively.

The joint statement is co-signed by EDANA alongside a broad coalition of industry representatives including AIM (European Brands Association), A.I.S.E., APPLiA (Home Appliance Europe), BusinessEurope, Cosmetics Europe, Ecommerce Europe, EuroChambres, EuroCommerce, EUROPEN, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), FoodDrinkEurope, Independent Retail Europe, OPTA Europe, SMEunited, Toy Industries of Europe, and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA).