Claims we can stand behind: how to talk about environmental impact

Sustainability is a business where words travel faster than evidence. "Eco-friendly," "green," "carbon-smart" — they sound reassuring, mean nothing precise, and are increasingly a legal risk. A company that sells measurement and monitoring should hold its own communication to the same standard.

Here is the discipline we aim to follow, and why it is becoming a requirement, not a nicety.

The rules are tightening

In the European Union, Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition changes the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. Member states had to adopt national rules by March 2026, and the rules apply from 27 September 2026. Among its effects:

Generic environmental claims such as "environmentally friendly" or "green" are restricted. They can be used only where recognized excellent environmental performance can be demonstrated.
Claims that a product has a neutral, reduced, or positive impact based on carbon offsetting are not allowed.
Sustainability labels must rest on a recognized certification scheme or on public authority action.

The directive covers business-to-consumer practices, so it does not directly govern a company selling infrastructure to businesses and municipalities. But the principle is the same everywhere: if you can't show it, don't say it. EU-based partners, lenders, and investors increasingly expect that standard, and Albania is aligning with EU law over time.

The checklist

Before a claim appears on a website, in a proposal, in a pitch deck, or in a social post, we ask:

Is it specific? A number, a unit, a scope, and a time period.
- Weak: "Our systems save water."
- Strong: "In the 2027 season, the sensor-controlled zone applied [X]% less irrigation water than the comparison zone."
How was it measured? Name the baseline, the method, the instruments, and who did the measuring.
Is it measured, modelled, or projected? Label each. A simulation is not a result.
What is the boundary? The pump, the farm, the whole supply chain? A claim about one part must not read as a claim about the whole.
Does it avoid absolutes? Words like "zero," "100%," "fully sustainable," and "carbon neutral" almost never survive scrutiny.
Does it avoid substituting offsets for reductions? State actual emissions reductions separately from any offsetting.
Is it dated and sourced? Keep an evidence file for every published number, and update or retire the claim when the data changes.
Does it show the limits? Say what did not improve. Credibility comes from candor.
Is it consistent everywhere? The website, the proposal, and the presentation should show the same figure with the same context.

Distinguish what we do from what we aim for

A company at an early stage has plenty it intends to do and little it has already done. Both are legitimate to describe — as long as the difference is obvious.

Use "designed to," "aims to," and "planned" for intentions and designs.
Use "measured" and "achieved" only for results with an evidence file.
Label projects as planned, in progress, or completed, and describe example or reference designs as reference designs.

That is how we label projects on this blog. A "Planned" project describes an approach and what will be measured — not results.

Make the evidence easy to check

Link to methodology notes and data where possible.
Show uncertainty ranges instead of single, overly precise figures.
Invite verification — an independent review, a site visit, a data export.
Correct errors promptly and visibly.

Why bother

Trust compounds. One inflated claim can cancel a hundred accurate ones.
Regulators and platforms are watching. Greenwashing rules are enforced, and so are advertising standards.
It sharpens the product. Teams that must prove an outcome build the measurement in from the start.

We measure success through real, tangible impact — not just numbers. That sentence is only worth printing if the measurements behind it exist.

For how we approach the measurements themselves, see from sensor to self-sustaining system.