Fewer Than 5% of African Tourism Suppliers Are Certified as EU's EmpCo Rules Take Effect September 27: Samantha Smits Responds

The EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo) Directive becomes enforceable on 27 September 2026. It sets strict new rules for sustainability marketing claims across the EU. From that date, generic terms such as 'eco-friendly', 'green' or 'sustainable' must be backed by independent, verifiable evidence, or they will not be allowed.

This matters for African tourism suppliers too, not just EU sellers. Properties across the continent sit outside EU jurisdiction, so they cannot be fined directly. But the EU-based tour operators and agents who sell to companies like yours can be. That liability flows back to the supplier, through contracts, audits, and the risk of being dropped from an agent's offering. According to WTM Africa's 2026 State of the Industry Report, fewer than 5% of African hospitality properties currently hold third-party sustainability certification. That leaves most of the continent's suppliers exposed just as EU buyers start checking claims more closely.

Sustainability certification is not a legal requirement. But it gives suppliers a ready-made framework, instead of having to work out compliance and making verified claims alone. As Samantha Smits puts it, "it just saves your agents doing homework, which makes you a more attractive partner to choose and easier to do business with."

Samantha Smits is the founder of Smits SusTour Consultancy. She is a trained auditor in the GSTC, Fair Trade Tourism, and Travelife for Tour Operators schemes, and consults hospitality and tour operator businesses across the continent on certification. She has actively been posting on Linkedin about the directive to help the sector understand the upcoming risks, and how schemes like Travelife for Tour Operators and Fair Trade Tourism give businesses the independent evidence regulators will expect.

She has one webinar coming up, 'From Sustainability Claims to Credible Action', on 16 September 2026 with Sofia Costa. It covers the gap between vague sustainability language and evidence-backed claims.