How Green Directives Impact Jan/San in the U.S.

Europe is often thought of as being ahead of the curve in sustainability. With its focus on a circular economy as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, the European Union (EU) continues to push regulations that advance its ambitious environmental goals, including climate neutrality by 2050. 

Robert Stelling, Director of Interclean Global Events, based in Amsterdam, acknowledges that government regulations are a driving force behind the EU’s sustainability movement, but customer demand plays an increasingly important role, too. He believes this demand for sustainable products and practices will make its way to the U.S. and that distributors need to be ready. 

“There seems to be a bit more intrinsic motivation in Europe to be sustainable and more customer demand for being sustainable,” says Stelling. “Whereas a couple of years ago you had a competitive edge if you were being sustainable, now you’re at a competitive disadvantage if you’re not sustainable.” 

Regardless of the regulatory environment at home or abroad, EU sustainability experts urge U.S. jan/san distributors to adopt a proactive sustainability approach. According to Jason Hartke, Executive Vice President for Global Advocacy, International WELL Building Institute, New York, a way distributors can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability is by participating in voluntary leadership programs, such as LEED or WELL, both of which are recognized internationally. 

“Many multinational companies are thinking about leadership in sustainability and health beyond regulations because they see this as an opportunity to be more competitive and differentiate their products,” says Hartke. 

Top-Down Transparency 

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is one of the EU’s most talked about and far-reaching regulations — and one that U.S. distributors need to have on their radar. Its goal is to standardize sustainability reporting, thereby improving transparency, accountability, and reliability of information. 

CSRD requires companies to disclose information about their ESG impacts on the environment and society, as well as how these factors affect their business. This year, the directive applies to companies with 500 or more employees, with plans to lower that number to 250 employees or more in 2026. 

Kati Barklund is Senior Manager of Workplace Strategies, Tenant & Partner - Performing Workplaces, and a former Chapter President of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) in Sweden. She explains that CSRD affects not only companies in the EU but those that do business in Europe. This includes U.S. suppliers as well as U.S. companies with branches in the EU that meet CSRD’s size criteria. 

Like CSRD, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is another piece of legislation that jan/san distributors need to be aware of, given the high volume of paper products they sell. According to Barklund, EUDR requires proof that raw materials are not linked to deforestation, with full traceability and due diligence by the end of 2025. 

“In many ways, these regulations are shifting sustainability from a marketing argument to more of a compliance requirement,” she notes. “And I think what’s happening in Europe, won’t stay in Europe.” 

No doubt, regulations like CSRD and EUDR will make it increasingly difficult for companies to mislead customers with unsubstantiated green claims, a practice commonly known as greenwashing. 

“Because companies have to publish not only a financial report, but a sustainability report every year, greenwashing would, in theory, disappear,” says Stelling. “If a company claims they’re using renewable energy to create a product, you could look at their report to see if they’re actually doing that. I think it will change the way product claims are made.” 

The EU has already tried to make headway on product claims by introducing the Green Claims Directive. Barklund explains that this initiative targets greenwashing by requiring companies to back up their claims with scientific evidence. Negotiations were suspended after the European Commission announced its intention to withdraw the proposal over concerns about its complexity and impact on small businesses. But in late June 2025, the commission clarified that the proposal has not been formally withdrawn. Its status is uncertain as of the time this story was written. 

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