Headerbild zur Erfolgsgeschichte von Fokus Zukunft und der Murnauer Kaffeerösterei

Success story

EmpCo Awareness:
Valid sustainability claims for Murnauer Kaffeerösterei

Through a tailored EmpCo awareness program and a targeted communication screening, Fokus Zukunft supported Murnauer Kaffeerösterei in proactively preparing its website and product communication for the upcoming requirements of the EmpCo Directive.

Details of our
success story

  • Customer: Murnauer Kaffeerösterei GmbH/strong>
  • Industry: Coffee / Food / Consumer Goods
  • 11 – 50 employees

Challenges of the customer

Murnauer Kaffeerösterei already communicates its sustainability efforts across several customer touchpoints, particularly on its website and product packaging.

However, the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) Directive significantly raises the requirements for environmental and sustainability claims. The directive aims to better protect consumers from misleading environmental information and greenwashing by targeting vague, generic, or insufficiently substantiated sustainability claims in consumer communication.

For Murnauer Kaffeerösterei, this raised a key question: Which sustainability terms and claims can still be used on the company’s website and product packaging in the future—and which should be revised or avoided?

Particular attention was given to broad environmental and sustainability claims that may become problematic without adequate explanation or evidence. Examples include terms such as environmentally friendly, climate neutral, natural, ecological, or biodegradable if they are not clearly defined and supported by verifiable proof.

Our solution approach

To provide clarity and confidence, Fokus Zukunft conducted a tailored EmpCo awareness workshop for employees from the relevant departments, combined with a practical review of the company’s existing sustainability communication.

The requirements of the EmpCo Directive were translated into practical guidance and directly applied to Murnauer Kaffeerösterei’s website, packaging, and customer communication.

Scope of the Project

Step 1

Introduction to the EmpCo Directive: The project began with an overview of the directive’s key requirements. We explained which types of environmental and sustainability claims will require particular attention in the future.

The EmpCo Directive strengthens existing consumer protection legislation by specifically addressing misleading environmental claims and non-transparent sustainability labels.

Step 2

Review of Existing Communication: Next, we reviewed sustainability-related terminology and claims used on the company’s website and product packaging.

The objective was to identify potentially high-risk statements and establish a clear overview of where wording should be avoided, clarified, or supported by robust evidence.

Step 3

Assessment of Critical Claims: All identified claims were evaluated according to their level of regulatory risk.

The assessment focused particularly on general environmental claims, product-related sustainability claims, climate-related statements, and wording that may suggest an environmental benefit to consumers.

Step 4

Practical Recommendations: Finally, Murnauer Kaffeerösterei received clear guidance on which claims should no longer be used without qualification and which statements require additional evidence or context.

We also developed practical recommendations for making sustainability communication more transparent, specific, and substantiated, supported by positive examples and concrete opportunities for improving existing messaging.

The result
of this success story

Through the EmpCo awareness training and communication review, Murnauer Kaffeerösterei now has a clear understanding of the future requirements for sustainability communication.

The company knows which claims on its website and product packaging may pose regulatory risks and which statements should be revised, avoided, or supported with stronger evidence.

This enables Murnauer Kaffeerösterei to proactively review its sustainability communication, reduce greenwashing risks, and respond more confidently to the expectations of customers, retailers, and other business partners.

A key benefit of the project was the combination of regulatory expertise with practical application. Rather than receiving a generic legal overview, the company gained a tailored assessment of its own communication, providing a solid basis for future decisions in marketing, packaging design, and product communication.

“Sustainability plays a central role in our communication because we work closely with our coffee-growing cooperatives and understand the environmental impacts of coffee cultivation and consumption. At the same time, we were aware that the requirements for environmental and sustainability claims are changing significantly. Thanks to the awareness training and communication review conducted by Fokus Zukunft, we now know which terms should be avoided and which claims require stronger evidence before being used on our website or packaging. This gives us confidence for our future communication and helps us communicate transparently and responsibly with our customers.”

– Thomas Eckel, Managing Director at Murnauer Kaffeerösterei GmbH

Bild von Thomas Eckel, Geschäftsführer der Murnauer Kaffeerösterei GmbH.

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