Sustainability claims are not just marketing copy. They tell a story, set expectations, and shape how consumers and pension participants decide where to place their money. That is what the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) said in a recent study, which is calling on financial institutions to sharpen the accuracy and clarity of how they communicate their sustainability ambitions.
In new guidance published on 22 January 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority set out detailed expectations for how consumer protection law applies to green claims across complex supply chains. The overall message is that environmental claims must be accurate, verifiable, and clear to consumers and responsibility does not stop at the point where a claim was first made.
Hong Kong’s push to position itself as a hub for sustainable finance took another step forward this week, as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority published Phase 2A of the Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance.
Poland’s consumer protection authority has launched proceedings against Bolt, Tchibo, and Zara, alleging that each company may have misled consumers through environmental claims that were vague, incomplete, or presented without sufficient context.
The European Central Bank (ECB) says climate change and environmental degradation are no longer side considerations in its work, but factors that now sit firmly inside the institution’s day-to-day decision-making.
The European Securities and Markets Authority published a second thematic note on sustainability-related claims, this time homing in on how firms describe ESG strategies in their communications. The focus is squarely on two of the most frequently used, and most inconsistently explained, terms in the market of ESG integration and ESG exclusions.
After months of pressure from companies grappling with the first wave of Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive disclosures, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) has delivered a sweeping proposal to simplify the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, cutting back disclosure requirements while keeping the EU’s broader climate and sustainability ambitions intact.