New rules for green claims. Does eco-friendly also mean animal-friendly?

From September 27, stricter rules will apply to environmental and sustainability claims. VeganStrom is using the new legal framework as an opportunity to raise a question that has received relatively little attention so far: What role should animals and habitats play when choosing renewable energy sources?
Berlin, September 18, 2026. In Germany, stricter requirements will apply to environmental and sustainability claims aimed at consumers. The European EmpCo Directive provides the legal basis. General claims such as “green”, “environmentally friendly” or “eco-friendly” will be subject to tighter restrictions if the environmental performance behind them cannot be substantiated. Germany has implemented the requirements through amendments to the German Act Against Unfair Competition.

For the energy market, this brings a fundamental question into sharper focus: What can actually be substantiated when it comes to green electricity, and what does sustainability mean beyond renewable origin?
Guarantees of Origin, or GOs, document how and where electricity from renewable energy sources was produced. For electricity marketed as renewable, suppliers must cancel the corresponding Guarantees of Origin in the register of the German Environment Agency. This provides verifiable documentation of the electricity’s renewable origin. However, Guarantees of Origin do not provide a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts associated with a particular energy source.

“We welcome the fact that sustainability claims will need to be more transparent and easier to verify,” says Erik Oldekop, Managing Director of GreenStone Energy GmbH. “For us, sustainability goes beyond renewable origin. We also look at how different energy sources can affect animals and habitats. That has been part of VeganStrom’s approach from the start.”

Renewable does not automatically mean animal-friendly
Solar energy and hydropower illustrate how differently renewable energy sources can affect animals and habitats.
Solar energy offers the opportunity to use existing or multi-purpose spaces, including rooftops, parking areas and appropriately designed open spaces. The German Environment Agency points out that, with suitable planning, ground-mounted photovoltaic systems can enable multiple uses of land and that appropriate design and management can enhance the ecological value of these areas.
Scientific studies also show that solar parks designed with biodiversity in mind can provide habitats for insects and pollinators. The decisive factor is therefore not the photovoltaic installation alone, but also how the surrounding land is designed and managed.
Hydropower shows why renewable does not necessarily mean equally compatible with animal life. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries analysed a global dataset covering more than 275,000 fish from 75 species at 122 hydropower sites in 15 countries. On average, mortality during passage through hydropower turbines was 22.3 percent.

These examples show that the type of renewable energy generation matters. VeganStrom therefore also considers potential impacts on animals and habitats when selecting its energy sources.

VeganStrom relies on solar and geothermal energy
VeganStrom currently relies exclusively on solar and geothermal energy. Wind power, hydropower and biomass are excluded from its electricity mix. The renewable origin of the corresponding electricity volumes is verified through Guarantees of Origin. In addition, VeganStrom considers potential impacts on animals and habitats when selecting its energy sources.

VeganStrom has been working with PETA Germany on animal protection issues for several years. The animal rights organisation advised GreenStone Energy during the development of the electricity tariff and its electricity mix. The collaboration has been in place since VeganStrom launched in 2020.
For VeganStrom, the new regulation is therefore also an opportunity to broaden the discussion: If sustainability claims have to be substantiated more precisely in the future, transparency should not stop at renewable origin. The impact of different energy sources on animals and habitats also deserves greater attention.

Contact: 
VeganStrom, eine Marke der GreenStone Energy GmbH
kontakt@greenstone-energy.de
Dessauer Strasse 28 
10963 Berlin 

  Sources for editors Richtlinie (EU) 2024/825 des Europäischen Parlaments: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/825/oj Umweltbundesamt, Strom-Herkunfts- und Regionalnachweise: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/klima-energie/erneuerbare-energien/nachweissysteme-fuer-energie-klimaschutz/strom-herkunfts-regionalnachweise-fragen-antworten Umweltbundesamt, Photovoltaik-Freiflächenanlagen: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/klima-energie/erneuerbare-energien/photovoltaik/photovoltaik-freiflaechenanlagen Walston et al. (2024), „If you build it, will they come? Insect community responses to habitat establishment at solar energy facilities in Minnesota, USA“, Environmental Research Letters, DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ad0f72 Blaydes et al. (2024), „On-site floral resources and surrounding landscape characteristics impact pollinator biodiversity at solar parks“, Ecological Solutions and Evidence, DOI 10.1002/2688-8319.12307 Leibniz-Institut für Gewässerökologie und Binnenfischerei, „Jeder fünfte Fisch stirbt bei der Passage von Wasserkraftturbinen“ https://www.igb-berlin.de/news/jeder-fuenfte-fisch-stirbt-bei-der-passage-von-wasserkraftturbinen PETA Deutschland: https://www.peta.de/neuigkeiten/vegan-strom/