#Interview
Communication & brand
“Verifiability trumps messaging: EmpCo is changing not only what we’re allowed to say—but also how credible brands will be perceived in the future.”
As part of our Focus Month, “Green Claims in the New Regulatory Framework—Ensuring Compliance, Sharpening the Brand,” we’re speaking with Christina Schäferkord. She heads the Communications and Brand division at Fokus Zukunft and, together with her team, is responsible for translating sustainability performance into clear, credible, and compliant communications. In this interview, she explains why the EmpCo Directive is changing the rules of the game for sustainability communication—and what matters most now.
The EmpCo is fundamentally shifting sustainability communication: away from mere storytelling and toward verifiable substance. It strengthens consumer protection and compels companies to clearly prioritize their claims, substantiate them thoroughly, and make them understandable.
This is more than just a new regulatory requirement—it’s a cultural shift. Brands that take this seriously gain credibility because they don’t promise perfection, but rather create transparency.
Brands, on the other hand, that continue to rely on vague or exaggerated claims risk damaging their reputation. In the long run, this poses less of a legal risk than a massive credibility risk in the eyes of customers, partners, and other stakeholders—and thus a real threat to the brand.
The biggest risks right now stem from a lack of clarity: overly bold claims, highlighting individual product features without a solid context, or statements that are communicated more quickly than they can actually be substantiated internally.
EmpCo brings precisely these gray areas to light—and thus makes them vulnerable to criticism. Many companies underestimate how quickly a well-intentioned sustainability claim can turn into a tangible compliance risk if it is not substantiated, internally coordinated, and clearly contextualized.
EmpCo-compliant communication follows a clear principle: verifiability before message. Sustainability communication is no longer merely a communication project. Internal processes must therefore be rethought in a more interdisciplinary way.
While in many companies today, sales or product management briefs the marketing team—which then develops campaigns or communication materials—in the future, there will be a need for much closer collaboration among all stakeholders: product, sustainability, legal, communications, and marketing. This requires reliable data, clear internal approval processes, and the ability to explain complex issues in an understandable way.
This step is successful when companies view sustainability not just as an obligation, but as a matter of impact. Compliance is the foundation—but genuine brand impact only emerges when it becomes clear what a brand stands for, what decisions it consciously makes, and what issues it prioritizes.
The rule of thumb is this: It’s often more credible to be open about gaps than to try to cover everything. In the industrial sector in particular, we often see that it is more effective to position individual product lines in a transparently sustainable way than to blanket the entire company with sweeping generalizations. A clear stance, consistent communication, and the deliberate prioritization of selected sustainability topics are what ultimately make the decisive impact.
Fokus Zukunft helps companies gain clarity and certainty in their approach to the EmpCo. We review existing sustainability claims, assess their verifiability, and develop clear communication guidelines for marketing and branding.
At the same time, we think beyond compliance: For us, EmpCo serves as the foundation for strategically prioritizing sustainability and credibly embedding it in the brand. This results in communication that is legally sound today—and builds trust tomorrow.
