Exploring the Anti-Greenwashing Requirements Introduced by the New EU Green Claims Directive and Their Implications for Experiential Marketing: A Case Study of the Paris 2024 Olympics

This dissertation explores the anti-greenwashing guidelines introduced by the EU Green Claims Directive and their implications for experiential marketing. As the threats posed by climate change and environmental degradation intensify, greenwashing remains a significant barrier to meaningful environmental progress. The Directive seeks to address this challenge by ensuring that all environmental claims and labels within the Union market are reliable, transparent, comparable, and verifiable. Mega-events such as the Olympic Games, known for their substantial environmental footprint and often misleading communication, stand in stark contrast to the pressing need for genuine climate action. Once established that the Paris 2024 Olympics represent an example of experiential marketing, the Paris Games were selected as a case study, particularly given their ambition to be the "Greenest ever Games." Through an analysis of the sustainability communication before and after the Games, and of the actual outcomes, this study assesses the extent to which their environmental claims align with the Directive's requirements. Building on the findings of this analysis, the study offers insights into the intersection of experiential marketing and environmental integrity, highlighting the need to communicate sustainability in a way that is both responsible and engaging.