How RCS Helps Brands Comply with the EU Green Claims Directive

Introduction: The End of Unverified Sustainability Claims

Across Europe, the rules for environmental communication are tightening. The EU Green Claims Directive aims to protect consumers from misleading sustainability claims and hold companies accountable for what they communicate.

For the textile and fashion industry, this marks a turning point. Vague terms like eco-friendly, sustainable, or green cotton will no longer be enough. Brands will need to prove every environmental statement with verifiable, science-based evidence.

The Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS) offers a clear pathway to compliance. It provides brands with the data, traceability, and credibility needed to meet the Directive’s requirements while strengthening transparency and trust.

Understanding the EU Green Claims Directive

The EU Green Claims Directive is part of a broader package of consumer protection and sustainability legislation, including the Empowering Consumers Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Its core goals are to:

• Prevent misleading or unsubstantiated environmental claims
• Ensure fair competition between companies making sustainability-related statements
• Provide consumers with reliable, comparable, and verifiable information about products

In practice, this means that every environmental claim — for example, “this T-shirt is made from sustainable cotton” — must be supported by recognized methodologies, data, and standards.

What the Directive Means for Textile and Fashion Brands

Under the Green Claims Directive, brands will have to:

1. Substantiate all claims with scientific evidence or recognized standards
2. Disclose verification details publicly (methodologies, scope, and data sources)
3. Use certified systems for product-level traceability
4. Avoid generic terms unless they are backed by concrete proof (e.g., eco, green, environmentally friendly)

Failure to comply may result in fines, product delistings, and reputational damage.

This creates a strong incentive for textile and fashion brands to rely on credible certification systems such as the Regenerative Cotton Standard®, which already meets the Directive’s expectations for substantiation and transparency.

How the Regenerative Cotton Standard® Supports Compliance

The Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS), developed by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), was designed to deliver exactly what the Green Claims Directive requires: measurable impact, full traceability, and independent verification.

1. Scientifically Verified Impact

RCS defines regenerative agriculture as an approach that improves the condition of natural and social systems. This is not based on self-declared improvements, but on measurable outcomes such as:

• Soil organic matter and biodiversity
  
• Water and nutrient efficiency
  
• Carbon sequestration potential
  
• Social wellbeing indicators of farming communities

These metrics can be used by brands as credible evidence to support sustainability-related claims in compliance with EU law.

2. Transparent Supply Chains

RCS applies the Hard Identity Preserved (HIP) Chain of Custody model, ensuring that cotton remains traceable from field to finished product.

This model guarantees that:

• RCS-verified cotton is physically separated from non-certified material
  
• Every transaction is documented through a secure data system
  
• The origin of each cotton batch can be verified

For the Green Claims Directive, this level of traceability is essential because it allows brands to prove the authenticity of material claims.

3. Independent Verification

All RCS participants – from farmers to brands – are audited according to the AbTF Transparency Standard. This ensures external verification by accredited third-party bodies.

Such independent oversight satisfies the Directive’s requirement for reliable and verifiable certification, providing brands with defensible data in case of audit or investigation.

Benefits of Using RCS for Green Claims Compliance

Brands that adopt RCS benefit from both regulatory security and market advantage:

Benefit	Impact
Legal Compliance	Provides third-party verified data to substantiate environmental claims
Transparency	Enables full traceability across the cotton supply chain
Credibility	Prevents greenwashing by using measurable outcomes instead of generic claims
Reputation Management	Strengthens brand integrity and consumer trust
Market Differentiation	Allows brands to communicate clear, evidence-based sustainability leadership

RCS gives companies the confidence to communicate their sustainability achievements openly — without the risk of non-compliance or misleading consumers.

How RCS Fits into the Broader EU Regulatory Framework

The Green Claims Directive is not an isolated regulation. It connects directly to other frameworks such as:

• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Requires brands to report environmental impacts and supply chain data.
  
• Empowering Consumers Directive: Ensures consumers receive transparent, verified product information.
  
• Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR): Introduces digital product passports with traceability requirements.

RCS supports all three. Its robust documentation and verification systems can feed directly into corporate sustainability reports, product passports, and consumer communication materials.

Example: From Marketing Claim to Verified Statement

Instead of saying:

“Our T-shirts are made from sustainable cotton.”

A compliant claim under the Green Claims Directive using RCS data could state:

“This T-shirt is made from 100% Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS) verified cotton. The cotton was grown by farmers using regenerative methods that improve soil health and biodiversity, verified through the Hard Identity Preserved Chain of Custody system.”

This example demonstrates how a vague marketing statement can be transformed into a legally robust, verifiable claim that meets EU expectations and builds consumer trust.

Preparing for the Directive – Next Steps for Brands

The EU Green Claims Directive is expected to be fully implemented in the coming years, with penalties for non-compliance. Brands should act now to prepare by:

1. Mapping all environmental claims across marketing and packaging
   
2. Identifying proof gaps and aligning with verified standards such as RCS
   
3. Implementing traceability systems to track material origin
   
4. Training internal teams on compliant sustainability communication

By partnering with the Regenerative Cotton Standard®, brands can future-proof their sustainability claims and ensure readiness for the new legal environment.

Conclusion: RCS as a Compliance and Communication Tool

The EU Green Claims Directive is transforming sustainability from a communication trend into a compliance obligation. For brands in fashion, workwear, and textiles, RCS provides a ready-made framework for credible, compliant sustainability claims.

Through measurable impact, strict traceability, and independent verification, RCS empowers brands to not only comply with new EU regulations but also lead the market with authentic, transparent communication.