The Empowering Consumers Directive, Directive (EU) 2024/825, (ECD) marks a significant development in EU consumer and sustainability policy, aiming to enhance the credibility of environmental claims and strengthen consumer protection against greenwashing. Among its key innovations, the Directive sets requirements for how sustainability labels are used in the EU market, specifically restricting their use unless backed by credible certification schemes or developed by public authorities.
 

This guidance document offers suggestions as input for consideration for the recent EUDR guidelines on the use of certification. ISEAL has built a broad-based consensus around what constitutes credible operating practices for sustainability certification schemes. Our Code of Good Practice captures this consensus in a publicly available normative document against which all ISEAL Code compliant members have been evaluated.

Going further in establishing robust credibility criteria, promoting multistakeholder participation, and supporting clear pre-approval and verification processes for sustainability schemes. This paper reiterates our longstanding support for the Commission’s efforts to introduce more stringent regulations to tackle greenwashing, enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. We would also like to share our views on the proposal and suggest some amendments to make it even more effective.

ISEAL has contributed to the UK’s Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) consultation. The consultation sought views on the exposure draft UK SRS, which are based on IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information and IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures. 

As part of its ongoing engagement with EU policymakers, ISEAL submitted targeted input to the European Parliament on the Omnibus Package, specifically addressing the proposed amendments to the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).Our recommendations aim to support the directive’s simplification objective while ensuring that effectiveness, inclusiveness, and alignment with international standards are not compromised.

ISEAL has contributed to the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group's (EFRAG) public consultation on the amended European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) exposure drafts.ISEAL welcomes EFRAG's efforts to simplify the ESRS and reduce datapoints while retaining the core objectives of the EU Green Deal. ISEAL notes how voluntary sustainability systems (VSS) strategically algin with EFRAG's ESRS objectives.

On 22 July, the European Commission launched a

There is a strong need for a regulatory approach that allows for product component and whole-of-product claims.

A technical submission by ISEAL to EU policymakers on the EU Green Claims Directive: Ahead of the trilogue meetings, ISEAL is sharing its perspective and suggested amendments on the texts proposed by the European Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament.  This technical submission reiterates our longstanding support for the Commission's efforts to introduce more stringent regulations to tackle greenwashing, enabling consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.

ISEAL has responded to the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU Nature Credits Roadmap.ISEAL welcomes the EU’s efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by mobilising private finance toward measurable and transparent outcomes. We encourage the recognition of ISEAL’s Credibility tools as a foundation for the nature credits roadmap. 

The EU Forced Labour Regulation (FLR), formally adopted in December 2024 as Regulation (EU) 2024/3015, establishes a ban on placing or making available on the EU market, or exporting from the EU, products made with forced labour. This brief covers background on the file and role of credible Voluntary Sustainability Systems (VSS) in supporting  

This document sets out the requirements an organisation must meet to become an ISEAL Community Member and to maintain that status.

This briefing paper complements ISEAL’s Recommendations, released in November 2022, which focus on two main areas of legislative reform for the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD):

In response to the EU proposal for a Green Claims Directive, this statement intends to go further in establishing robust credibility criteria, by promoting multistakeholder participation, and supporting clear pre-approval and verification processes for sustainability schemes. 

On 17 November 2021, the European Commission published its Proposal for a Regulation on Deforestation-free Products
(hereafter “the Proposal”). This position paper outlines how ISEAL believes this draft legislation should be adjusted to have a deeper impact on preventing deforestation.

BCI and WWF-Turkey have cooperated in the ATLA (Adaptation to Landscape Approach) GIS project. The purpose of the ATLA GIS project is to create baseline information and get a clear understanding of how farming activities have been interacting with Buyuk Menderes Delta and Lake Bafa over time.

This report presents pilot activities conducted in two separate sites in Söke in 2021, as part of the WWF-Turkey Regenerative Cotton Project.

This briefing note shares insights and learnings from a series of semi-structured interviews ISEAL conducted with fourteen leading, global companies engaged in living wage actions.

ISEAL, alongside a broad coalition of certification schemes, civil society organisations and businesses, has co-signed a joint letter urging EU policymakers to relaunch trilogue negotiations The EU Green Claims Directive (GCD). 

This blog outlines a set of key messages on due diligence and standards systems in the context of TFA letter to the European Commission.

With the final trilogue on the Green Claims Directive now postponed to 23 June, ISEAL, together with ECOCERT, FTAO, IFOAM Organics Europe, and TIC Council, has issued a joint statement urging EU policymakers to preserve the ambition and integrity of this vital legislation.

ISEAL sent a letter of welcome and congratulations to Denmark on assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, for the term beginning 1 July 2025. We acknowledge Denmark's timely agenda of "A strong Europe in a changing world," and note a close alignment between the work for a secure, competitive, and green Europe and ISEAL's mission to harness credible sustainability standards for measurable real-world impact.