Austria's amendment to the Federal Act against Unfair Competition 1984 (UWG), adopted by both chambers of parliament and transposing Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition, brings its new environmental-claims prohibitions into application on September 27, 2026. Grocery and consumer-goods retailers, FMCG manufacturers, e-commerce sellers, sustainability-label users and fashion brands making B2C green claims on the Austrian market must audit every environmental claim, label and forward-looking pledge against the new UWG blacklist by September 27, 2026, or face a civil injunction (Unterlassung) and damages claims from competitors and qualified consumer and business associations under the Mitbewerber- und Verbandsklage.
From September 27, 2026, four sets of rules take effect together: generic environmental claims such as climate-neutral, eco-friendly, green or sustainable are banned without recognised excellent environmental performance; sustainability labels must rest on an established certification scheme or a public authority; forward-looking claims require a detailed, publicly accessible implementation plan verified by an independent third party; and new information duties cover product lifespan, software updates and repairability. Goods placed on the Austrian market before September 27, 2026 keep a three-year civil-enforcement grace period under section 44(16) UWG, ending on September 27, 2029.
- Deadline : September 27, 2026, application date for the new environmental-claims prohibitions
- Who : traders making B2C environmental claims in Austria, including retailers, FMCG makers, e-commerce sellers, label users and fashion brands
- What : generic-claim ban, certified ecolabels only, third-party-verified public plans for future claims, new product-information duties
- Otherwise : civil injunction (Unterlassung) and damages via the Mitbewerber- und Verbandsklage
- Official source : Austrian Parliament, government bill 528 d.B.
What applies on September 27, 2026
The amendment extends the UWG blacklist of commercial practices that are unfair in all circumstances. From September 27, 2026, generic environmental claims are prohibited unless the product or trader has recognised excellent environmental performance; sustainability labels require an established certification scheme or a public authority; future-oriented environmental claims, such as climate-neutral by 2030, require a detailed, publicly accessible implementation plan with independent third-party verification; and advertising legal minimum requirements as a distinctive feature is banned. New information duties on product lifespan, software updates and repairability apply through the UWG and the Consumer Rights Amendment Act 2026 interface. The act transposes Directive (EU) 2024/825 and aligns Austria with the EU application date.
The National Council adopted the bill on July 7, 2026 (87. sitting, TOP 7) and the Federal Council approved it on July 16, 2026 (184/BNR); as of July 18, 2026 the bill is adopted by both chambers and awaits presidential authentication (Beurkundung) and promulgation in the Bundesgesetzblatt. Austria missed the EU transposition deadline of March 27, 2026 and received a Commission formal-notice letter (INF/26/1097) on May 27, 2026; the application date of September 27, 2026 stands regardless.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | Government bill (528 d.B.) submitted to the National Council |
| 2026-06-24 | Committee on Economy, Industry and Energy report (552 d.B.) |
| 2026-07-07 | Adopted by the National Council, 87. sitting, TOP 7 |
| 2026-07-16 | Approved by the Federal Council (184/BNR) |
| 2026-09-27 | Application of the new environmental-claims prohibitions |
| 2029-09-27 | End of the three-year transitional civil-enforcement grace period, section 44(16) UWG |
Who is covered
The UWG catches any trader directing commercial practices at Austrian consumers, regardless of where the trader is established, so importers, marketplaces and online sellers advertising into Austria fall in scope alongside domestic retailers and brands. The exposed categories span grocery and consumer-goods retailers such as MPREIS, Billa/Rewe, Spar and Hofer, FMCG manufacturers marketing environmental claims on the Austrian market, e-commerce sellers advertising green or sustainability claims to Austrian consumers, companies using sustainability labels, and fashion and textile brands making forward-looking climate-neutral claims. Goods placed on the Austrian market before September 27, 2026 benefit from the three-year civil-enforcement grace period in section 44(16) UWG, deferring enforcement of the new prohibitions against that stock until September 27, 2029.
What to do before September 27, 2026
- Audit every B2C environmental claim, including climate-neutral, eco-friendly, green and sustainable wording, against the new UWG blacklist.
- Remove generic claims or substantiate them with recognised excellent environmental performance data.
- Confirm each sustainability label is backed by an established certification scheme or a public authority.
- For forward-looking claims, publish a detailed implementation plan with independent third-party verification.
- Stop presenting legal minimum requirements as a distinctive product feature.
- Add product lifespan, software-update and repairability information where the new information duties apply.
- Map stock placed on the market before September 27, 2026 to rely on the section 44(16) transitional position.
What happens otherwise
Enforcement is civil. Competitors and qualified consumer and business associations can seek an injunction (Unterlassung) and damages before the civil courts under the Mitbewerber- und Verbandsklage, the established UWG enforcement route. The Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET) is the lead legislator, not an enforcement authority. Continuous, per-jurisdiction monitoring surfaces this kind of change the moment it publishes.
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