European industry groups have called on the European Commission to introduce transitional safeguards under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive, warning that the absence of a grandfathering provision could trigger large-scale waste and significant financial losses.
In a joint statement issued on 16 December 2025, EDANA, the global association representing the nonwovens industry, joined forces with a broad coalition of European business organisations to urge policymakers to allow the continued sale of products that were lawfully placed on the market before the Directive comes into force.
The coalition supports the ECGT Directive’s core objective of combating greenwashing and improving the accuracy of sustainability claims. However, it has raised concerns over the European Commission’s current interpretation of the rules, which—according to a recent Commission FAQ—would require all environmental claims to comply by September 2026, regardless of when products were manufactured or stocked.
Industry representatives argue that applying the Directive retroactively would contradict long-standing EU principles of legal certainty and non-retroactivity. Without a transitional mechanism, companies may be forced to withdraw or modify existing inventory that fully complied with the law at the time it was placed on the market.
Beyond legal concerns, the coalition highlighted the potential environmental consequences of such an approach. Millions of products could be discarded despite being fully functional, undermining the EU’s own sustainability, circular economy and Ecodesign objectives.
The economic impact is also expected to be substantial. Corrective measures such as relabelling, stickering or repackaging existing stock would pose major logistical challenges, with costs ranging from hundreds of thousands to several million euros per company, depending on scale and sector.
To prevent these unintended outcomes while preserving the Directive’s intent, the coalition is calling on the European Commission to introduce a “grandfathering clause”. This would permit products placed on the market before the application date to be sold through normally. In parallel, industry groups have proposed the development of a coordinated action plan to manage legacy stock in an orderly and sustainable manner.
The joint statement is co-signed by EDANA (the voice of nonwovens) along with major European industry bodies 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).