Major coffee and chocolate manufacturers have agreed to withdraw non-specific sustainability claims from product packaging following regulatory scrutiny in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) said global companies, including Nestlé, Mondelez International and JDE Peet’s, will remove terms such as “responsible” and “sustainable” from coffee and cacao packaging beginning in early 2026. The action follows a sector review that found a high incidence of unclear environmental claims in coffee and chocolate products.

The ACM stated that such terms frequently lack defined criteria or verifiable standards and may create inaccurate impressions regarding climate impact, labour conditions or human rights practices. It said sustainability claims must be clear, specific and supported by evidence.

By September 2026, the companies will also limit the use of proprietary sustainability logos created internally. Under the European Union’s Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive, sustainability labels must be independently verified and open to participation by multiple companies. The directive establishes uniform requirements for environmental marketing claims across the EU.

The ACM said the companies had begun aligning their practices with forthcoming EU rules before the investigation, but the review resulted in an accelerated implementation timeline. Martijn Ridderbos, a member of the ACM board, stated that clearer labelling standards would improve comparability between products.

Given the long shelf life of coffee and cacao products, packaging adjustments will be introduced gradually. Revised labels are expected to appear in retail outlets during the first half of 2026.

The regulator initiated its focus on sustainability claims in the food sector in 2025 after identifying repeated use of phrases such as “sustainably sourced cacao” without defined benchmarks. The ACM stated that unclear claims may affect market competition by creating ambiguity around product attributes.

The authority confirmed that monitoring of environmental marketing practices will continue across other sectors to ensure compliance with consumer protection standards. The stated objective is to require that sustainability communication is substantiated, transparent and consistent with EU regulatory requirements.