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/ Magazine / Other Articles / GREENWASHING AND MARKETING IN THE LAUNDRY SECTOR: FROM STORYTELLING TO PROOF
With the implementation of Legislative Decree No. 30/2026, effective starting from September 27th, detergents, washing machines, and professional cleaning services will have to prove every environmental claim. It will no longer be enough to write “green”, “eco”, “nature-friendly”, or “eco-friendly” on the label The professional laundry sector has been one of the most active in communicating its green transition for years, with claims like "bio formula" for detergent manufacturers, "energy-saving," "low water impact," or "carbon neutral" for washing machine builders, and "eco-friendly washes" for industrial and professional laundries. All these phrases or descriptions appear on packaging, websites, and communication materials. But from September 27th, 2026, all of this will have to be demonstrated, not just declared. Legislative Decree 20 February 2026, no. 30, which transposes EU Directive 2024/825 – known as "Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition" – introduces a strict set of rules on green claims into the Consumer Code. The provision has been law since March 24th, 2026; companies have until September 27th to comply. After that date, any environmental assertion not supported by verifiable evidence becomes an unfair commercial practice with concrete sanctions. The objectives the regulation aims to achieve are as follows: • Guarantee a level playing field by eliminating the unfair competitive advantage of those who spend on misleading advertising instead of sustainable innovation.
• Stimulate the circular economy: by obliging producers to declare product durability and repairability.
• Provide reliable and comparable data: allowing consumers to compare products based on real data (such as the EU harmonized repairability index) and not on abstract promises.
• Avoid "greenhushing." It will no longer be enough to write "eco" on the label. From September 27th, 2026, every environmental claim must be demonstrable, certified, and verifiable by third parties.
Why the laundry sector is particularly exposed
No product category has invested as much in the "green narrative" as the laundry sector. This is understandable: the environmental impact of washing, water consumption, energy use, microplastic emissions, and surfactant discharge is real and perceived by consumers as significant. The market has responded with a wave of sustainable communication that, in many cases, preceded actual production transformation processes by years. Precisely for this reason, the new regulation surgically targets some widespread practices in the sector:
• the use of labels with green leaves, water droplets, or "eco" pictograms lacking any recognized certification.
• claims like "100% biodegradable," "zero water impact," or "carbon neutral" based on non-standardized methodologies or emission offsets not accompanied by actual performance improvements.
• sustainability claims referring to the entire product when the green intervention only concerns a single ingredient or a marginal aspect of the process.
For marketing and communication managers in the sector's companies, this radically changes the scope of what can be said and how it can be said.
What Legislative Decree 30/2026 specifically prohibits 30/2026
The decree intervenes in four areas with a direct impact on the laundry sector:
1. Generic environmental assertions Terms like "eco-friendly," "green," "sustainable," "environmentally friendly" can no longer be used freely on packaging, advertising, or product sheets unless supported by verifiable evidence. In washing machine detergents, this concerns not only the claim itself but also pictograms, colors, and visuals that evoke nature and sustainability without certified substance behind them. 2. Climate neutrality based solely on offsets
2. Climate neutrality based solely on offsets Claiming a laundry product or service as "zero emissions" or "carbon neutral" will be permissible only if the assertion is based on a real improvement in environmental performance, not on the purchase of carbon credits. Several brands in the sector currently communicate climate neutrality through offsets; this approach alone will no longer be sufficient. 3. Uncertified sustainability labels
3. Uncertified sustainability labels Only sustainability labels based on open certification systems, verified by independent third parties, or established by public authorities (such as EU Ecolabel or Blauer Engel for detergents) will be permissible. Self-produced "eco" logos or those based on internal company declarations, still widespread in the sector, will be considered misleading.
4. Claims on future performance Assertions like "by 2030 we will be fully sustainable" or "transitioning towards carbon neutrality" will only be allowed if supported by clear commitments, measurable objectives, precise timelines, and independent verification mechanisms. A vague roadmap published on the company website will not suffice.
The durability angle: washing machines, dispensers, and packaging
Legislative Decree 30/2026 doesn't just address greenwashing. A second pillar of the reform is the promotion of product durability and repairability, with an obligation to provide clear information to consumers before purchase. For the laundry sector, this has concrete implications on multiple levels. For washing machine and dryer manufacturers: it will be necessary to transparently communicate expected lifespan, availability of spare parts, and product repairability. Planned obsolescence, including software blocks that induce consumers to replace appliances prematurely, is explicitly prohibited. For detergent and fabric softener manufacturers: the issue of durability translates into the need to provide credible information on product concentration, effectiveness per wash cycle, and packaging lifecycle. The claim "concentrated formula: less plastic" must be supported by real data, not just an evocative graphic. For professional and industrial laundries: washing services that communicate the use of low-consumption machinery or certified detergents with claims like "we wash green" will need to be able to document these assertions with verifiable data, not just statements of intent on their websites or in commercial and communication materials such as catalogs and product technical sheets, otherwise they expose themselves to regulatory and reputational risk.
The change for marketing: from narrative to proof
For those working in communication and marketing in the laundry sector, Legislative Decree 30/2026 mandates a change in method, even before a change in content. Sustainability can no longer be treated as a narrative lever applied retrospectively; it must become a documented component of the value proposition. In practice, this means:
• replacing absolute claims with circumscribed and measurable assertions (e.g., "35% reduction in CO2 per wash cycle compared to the 2020 formulation, verified by [third party]" instead of "sustainable product").
• verifying that every eco logo on packaging is linked to a recognized and currently valid certification.
• aligning the legal, R&D, and communication departments before launching any environmental claim.
• updating B2B technical sheets, sales force materials, and digital content before the September deadline. Companies in the sector that have already invested in certifications such as EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, Blauer Engel, or have conducted Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analyses compliant with ISO 14040/14044 standards are in a position of real competitive advantage. The new regulation does not penalize marketing; it only penalizes those who seek shortcuts.
Sanctions: a concrete risk for non-compliance
Companies that do not comply with the new regulation risk interventions from the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), with potential fines of up to 10 million euros and obligations for public rectification of messages, and above all, reputational damage in a sector where green credibility has become a key differentiator. The damage is not just commercial. A laundry company sanctioned for greenwashing loses credibility with distributors, large retail buyers, hotel chains, and professional clients – all entities that today require ESG documentation as an integral part of their purchasing processes.
The opposite risk: greenhushing, silence that harms as much as slogans
The boomerang effect could be greenhushing, which is the choice to reduce or eliminate communication about sustainability for fear of sanctions, even when environmental commitments are real, documented, and verifiable. According to the Transparency Index 2024, more than one in two companies avoid communicating their ESG commitments for fear of accusations of greenwashing. In Italy, a study by GreenItaly found that 57% of companies have adopted at least one concrete measure to reduce their environmental impact, but only 18% have communicated these actions to their customers.
A silence that, paradoxically, rewards those who do nothing
Hiding one's sustainability initiatives has three negative effects: it erases the competitive advantage compared to those who do nothing, it deprives consumers of the ability to choose based on their values, and it risks discouraging internal investments in environmental research and innovation. Legislative Decree 30/2026, read in its overall logic, is not a punitive regulation for those who communicate sustainability; it is a punitive regulation for those who communicate it falsely or misleadingly. For companies in the laundry sector, a phase is opening where communication, regulatory compliance, and brand strategy will have to work together. The value of a green claim will no longer lie in its persuasive effectiveness but in its verifiability. And companies that have truly invested in research, certifications, and performance improvements, those that today often communicate with more caution and less noise, will finally have the right regulatory context to assert their difference.
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