Asos, Boohoo, and George at Asda agree to amend their marketing practices to ensure accuracy and transparency in environmental claims, following a CMA investigation into potential greenwashing.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that prominent fashion retailers Asos, Boohoo, and George at Asda have agreed to amend how they communicate their environmental efforts to customers, ensuring transparency and accuracy in their “green” claims. This comes after a 20-month CMA investigation raised concerns about potential greenwashing – the practice of giving a misleading impression of a product’s environmental friendliness.
Launched in July 2022, the CMA’s probe scrutinized the accuracy of environmental claims made by these companies, particularly focusing on their collections marketed as eco-friendly, such as Asos’s “Responsible edit,” Boohoo’s “Ready for the Future,” and Asda’s “George for Good.” The inquiry highlighted that some marketed products may not meet the environmental standards advertised.
Under the agreements, which were made without the companies admitting any wrongdoing, the brands will no longer use vague terms like ‘eco’, ‘responsible’, or ‘sustainable’ without clear, substantiated evidence. Instead, they must use specific language, such as ‘organic’ or ‘recycled,’ and ensure that products meet all the criteria to be included in environmentally-friendly ranges. They are also required to clearly communicate the minimum requirements for featuring products in these collections, ensuring that claims like the proportion of recycled fibres are transparently presented.
Sarah Cardell, CMA’s chief executive, stated the importance of these pledges, indicating they set a new benchmark in the fashion industry for environmental claims. She expressed confidence that these changes will allow customers to trust the sustainability assertions made by these widely recognized brands. This move is seen as a significant step towards improving corporate accountability in how environmental claims are marketed, aiming to combat greenwashing and encourage an honest dialogue between consumers and the fashion industry.
These developments highlight a growing regulatory focus on ensuring that companies’ marketing practices concerning sustainability are both transparent and accurate, setting a precedent that could influence broader industry practices in the UK and potentially globally.
