Greenwashing Under Fire: New Rules Will Reshape Marketing and Guarantees

How many companies today use words such as "ecological", "sustainable" or "planet-friendly" on their packaging and in their advertising? And how many of them could actually substantiate those claims by certification or verifiable data? If you are a business that relies on environmental arguments in its marketing, you should take note. On 25 March 2026 the Poslanecka snemovna (Chamber of Deputies) held its first reading of a Government bill that substantially amends both the Consumer Protection Act and Act No. 89/2012 Coll., the Civil Code - and the rules of the game for the entire Czech market may become considerably stricter.

The bill implements three pieces of European legislation at once: Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition, Directive (EU) 2024/1799 on the promotion of the repair of goods, and Regulation (EU) 2024/3228 discontinuing the European online dispute resolution platform. It is a package of changes that will affect virtually everyone who sells goods or services to consumers.

An end to greenwashing and fake reviews

At the heart of the bill lies a prohibition of greenwashing - that is, misleading claims about the environmental qualities of products which have no real basis. A concept that many businesses have so far associated with activist criticism of large corporations now acquires a hard legal framework directly in the Consumer Protection Act (specifically in Section 5(3) and Annex No. 1).

What does this mean in practice? If you wish to use any sustainability label on your product or in your advertising, it must rest either on an official certification scheme or on a scheme established by public authorities. Free use of phrases such as "eco-friendly" or "100% natural" without certification will become a prohibited unfair commercial practice. The same applies where a company presents an environmental claim as though it related to the entire product or to the whole of the undertaking's activity, while in reality it concerns only a part of it. Imagine a manufacturer advertising "ecological footwear" even though only one material used in the sole is in fact environmentally friendly - it is precisely such practices that the bill targets.

Businesses should also not overlook the tightening of the rules on consumer reviews. The current legislation already prohibits the manipulation of reviews, but the bill goes further. It will now be expressly prohibited to publish positive reviews selectively while systematically removing negative ones. For e-shops and platforms that build their commercial strategy on five-star ratings, this may mark a fundamental turning point.

Equally noteworthy is a new category of prohibited practices - offering products that contain deliberate failure mechanisms, for example software designed to limit the lifespan of a product. The practice whereby a printer stops working after a certain number of printed pages not because of wear and tear but because of a software block will become unambiguously unlawful.

Extension of the guarantee after repair and new information duties

The second pillar of the bill concerns guarantee conditions and the right to repair. Under the proposed amendments to Sections 2165 and 2168 of the Civil Code, where a defect in a product has been remedied by repair, the guarantee period is automatically extended by one year. This is a dramatic change, forcing sellers to think about the quality of their goods and their serviceability in an entirely different way.

A new procedural duty follows for sellers. When a complaint is lodged, they will have to draw the consumer's attention actively to the fact that a repair will extend the guarantee period (Section 19(2) of the Consumer Protection Act). Failure to give that notice may in itself amount to a breach of the law.

The bill also broadens the mandatory pre-contractual disclosures under Sections 1811 and 1820 of the Civil Code. Businesses will have to provide consumers with more detailed information on rights arising from defective performance, on the so-called "durability guarantee", on the period of free software updates and on the repairability of the goods. For manufacturers of electronics, household appliances or any goods with digital elements, this means reworking product sheets, terms and conditions and the information presented on e-shops.

In terms of the practical impact on business, it is essential to appreciate that these changes are not merely formal. A breach of the duties laid down by the Consumer Protection Act may result in fines imposed by the Ceska obchodni inspekce (Czech Trade Inspection Authority), but also in collective actions and reputational damage that may prove far more painful for a company than the penalty itself.

The bill has been referred to the Economic Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. Its entry into force is proposed in two waves - partly on 31 July 2026 and partly on 27 September 2026. The transposition deadlines under the European directives therefore leave Czech companies relatively little time to prepare.

What should businesses do now? First, carry out an audit of all environmental claims used in their marketing and on their product packaging. Second, check whether their system for handling consumer reviews meets the new requirements. Third, adapt their complaints procedures and terms and conditions to the new rule on the extension of the guarantee after repair. And finally, ensure that pre-contractual information for consumers contains all the newly required particulars on repairability and durability.

This bill is not only about consumer protection. It signals that the era of vague environmental promises and opaque handling of reviews is drawing to a close in Czech law. Companies that prepare in good time may paradoxically turn it into a competitive advantage - because customer trust is, in the end, the most valuable asset a business has.

Source: Poslanecka snemovna Parlamentu CR (Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic), Government bill, parliamentary print - first reading held on 25 March 2026; PZ 82/2025.