SDG Breakfast seminar - EmpCo: From Generic Sustainability Claims to Silence, or a Real Driver of Transparency and Sustainable Transformation?

Place
Helsinki
Room
Futurum
Link
Register here
Banner SDG week 2026
As part of SDG Week, this breakfast seminar will shed light on the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo) and its implications for sustainability communication and claims directed at consumers. The seminar will feature a keynote by Professor of Practice Laura Ihanainen, followed by an expert panel with company representatives, offering insights into how businesses are preparing for and implementing the EmpCo Directive’s requirements. A light breakfast is served from 8.30 a.m., followed by the seminar from 9.00 to 10.15 a.m.

Programme (9.00 - 10.15) 


Keynote
EmpCo Is Here – What Will Change for Businesses? 
Laura Ihanainen, Professor of Practice (Hanken School of Economics) and Sustainability Manager, Snellman Group

Discussion
Is the EmpCo Directive a move from generic sustainability claims to silence, or is it a real driver of transparency and sustainable transformation?
Anna Nicol, Director, Sustainability Strategy & Reporting, Fazer Group & Fazer Confectionery  
Laura Ihanainen, Professor of Practice at Hanken School of Economics and Sustainability Manager, Snellman Group

The discussion will focus on the impacts of the Empowering Consumers Directive (EmpCo) on companies’ sustainability communications directed at consumers.

Moderator: Nikodemus Solitander, Associate Dean of Sustainability, Hanken School of Economics

The event is free of charge but requires registration in advance via this registration link (by 20.9)


About the keynote by Laura Ihanainen

profile picture of Laura Ihanainen

From 27 of September 2026 onwards, generic sustainability claims without proof are prohibited at EU level under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (EmpCo). Laura Ihanainen will discuss what this means in practice and what kind of changes are needed in consumer communication.

Laura Ihanainen is specialised in sustainable development, especially on sustainable food value chains and grocery business. In recent years, she has deepened her speciality on EU ESG regulation. She has a PhD in Marketing from the University of Helsinki and has worked both in academia but also in the retail and software industry. She has worked as Senior Sustainability Manager at Kesko and currently she is a Sustainability Manager at Snellman Group and Professor of Practice at Hanken.