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New rules against greenwashing: What Norwegian and Danish companies need to know
Terms like "green," "environmentally friendly," and "climate-friendly" will become harder to use without solid documentation. Denmark introduces new rules on September 27, 2026, while Norway has adopted similar changes that have not yet entered into force.
Environment and sustainability have long been popular marketing messages. "Green," "climate-friendly," "sustainable," and "CO₂-neutral" appear on everything from product pages and packaging to Meta ads and newsletters.
Now, the rules are being tightened.
In Denmark, new rules against misleading environmental marketing will take effect on September 27, 2026. On September 4, the Consumer Ombudsman published new recommendations that companies must comply with from that date.
Norway has adopted similar changes through the Act on Strengthened Consumer Protection in the Green Transition. It was passed and announced on June 19, 2026, but as of September 8, 2026, it is still marked as "not in force" and will take effect when the King decides.
This does not mean that Norwegian companies are free to use undocumented environmental claims in the meantime. Misleading marketing and environmental claims that cannot be substantiated can already be penalized under the current Marketing Control Act.
One of the most important changes concerns what the legislation calls general environmental claims.
These are broad terms such as:
As of September 27, such general claims will always be considered misleading in Denmark unless the company can point to recognized, outstanding environmental performance that is actually relevant to the claim. Examples include the EU Ecolabel, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, or specific environmental performance standards resulting from other EU regulations.
This does not mean that companies have to stop talking about environmental benefits.
The difference lies in how specific you are.
Instead of:
"Environmentally friendly packaging"
a more precise phrasing could be, for example:
"100% of the energy used to produce this packaging comes from renewable sources."
Provided, of course, that the claim can be documented.
The point is simple: the bigger the environmental promise you make to the customer, the stronger the documentation must be.
Another new rule targets claims where a single environmental benefit is used to create the impression that an entire product or business is environmentally friendly.
Imagine an online store that has switched from plastic to cardboard packaging and subsequently starts marketing its entire product line as "green."
That can be problematic.
As of September 27, it will always be considered misleading in Denmark to make an environmental claim about an entire product or business when the claim actually only applies to one specific aspect. The same provision has been adopted in the Norwegian legislative amendment.
A safer principle is therefore:
State exactly what has been improved.
Does the packaging contain less plastic? Say so.
Have transport emissions been reduced? Describe the reduction and how it was measured.
Do not let one improvement turn into a general environmental claim about the entire product.
The new rules go even further regarding climate compensation.
In Denmark, as of September 27, it will always be misleading to claim that a product has a neutral, reduced, or positive climate impact if the claim is based on climate compensation outside the product's own value chain.
This applies to typical phrases such as:
if the claim about the product is actually based on the company having purchased carbon credits or financed emission reductions elsewhere.
The company can still talk about the environmental projects it funds. The problem arises when this is used to give the customer the impression that the product itself has no climate impact.
Instead of:
"This delivery is climate neutral."
it may therefore be more accurate to describe the actual measure:
"We fund an external climate program equivalent to the calculated emissions from the transport."
This, of course, must also be accurate and verifiable.
Many companies create their own symbols and labels:
"Eco Choice"
"Green Product"
"Sustainable Selection"
From September 27, it will always be misleading in Denmark to display a sustainability label that is not either established by a public authority or based on a qualified certification scheme with independent third-party verification.
This means that companies should review both their websites and packaging.
A green leaf icon with the text "Eco" may look innocent, but visual elements can also create an environmental impression. The rules therefore apply not only to the wording in the body text.
Many companies also use future goals in their marketing:
"We will be climate neutral by 2030."
"By 2035, our entire production will be emission-free."
The new rules set stricter requirements for such claims.
In Denmark, claims regarding future environmental performance must be based on clear, objective, publicly available, and verifiable commitments.
There must be a detailed and realistic plan, including measurable and time-bound targets, and progress must be regularly monitored by an independent third party.
A green goal cannot simply be an ambition that the marketing department has written on the "About Us" page.
The company must be able to demonstrate how it actually intends to get there.
For businesses operating in both countries, the timing is important.
Denmark:
The new rules apply from September 27, 2026. The Consumer Ombudsman also emphasizes that the rules may be relevant for products and packaging produced before this date. Companies should therefore not wait until the next production cycle to review their marketing.
Norway:
The legislative amendment was passed June 19, 2026, but still has no set effective date as of September 8.
The content of the Norwegian legislative amendment is based on the same EU directive and contains many of the same provisions regarding general environmental claims, sustainability labels, climate compensation, and future environmental goals.
For Norwegian companies, it therefore makes little sense to wait to clean up their act.
Start by reviewing every place where environment and sustainability are used as a selling point:
The new rules do not mean that companies should stop communicating environmental improvements.
Quite the opposite.
Businesses that have actually made measurable improvements have more reason to talk about them. But the marketing must become more concrete.
"We have reduced the amount of plastic in our packaging by 35%."
is a much clearer message than:
"A greener choice."
The first says something the customer can understand and the company can document. The second leaves almost the entire environmental story to the customer's own interpretation.
It is precisely this type of ambiguity that the new rules aim to reduce.
WeAssist helps Norwegian and Danish companies with websites, ads, content, and digital marketing.
If you have environmental or sustainability claims on your website, in ads, or in product communications, we can help map where these messages are used and make your communication more concrete and consistent.
Get in touch with WeAssist if you need to review your marketing before the new rules take full effect in the Nordic region.
This article provides general information about marketing and does not constitute legal advice.
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