Members of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), a global coalition of over 70 consumer protection authorities, recently issued an open letter urging the fashion retail sector and textile industry to reassess their business practices to ensure their environmental claims align with consumer protection laws.
The letter advises retailers to avoid ambiguous and non-specific terms such as describing clothing as ‘conscious,’ ‘green,’ or ‘sustainable.’
As concerns about greenwashing in fashion industry advertising intensify, the sector—which the letter highlights as accounting for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of global wastewater—has come under greater scrutiny.
It warns businesses against exaggerating the importance of their environmental initiatives and emphasizes that any improvements promoted should be presented in a ‘proportionate’ manner and not given ‘undue emphasis in’ marketing campaigns.
The letter further advises retailers to refrain from making claims that rely on non-specific data, such as stating that a clothing item inherently has a reduced environmental impact simply because it is made with organic cotton rather than conventional cotton.
ICPEN also highlighted the risks of relying on self-created certification systems and the inappropriate use of third-party certifications, stressing that labels “should give an accurate impression of the environmental performance of the product.”
Retailers are additionally encouraged to be precise when applying sustainability filters in online stores, focusing their advertising on specific initiatives already in place rather than making unsupported claims about future goals.
The open letter was supported by 20 global organizations, including Ireland’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, and the Spanish Directorate General for Consumer Affairs.
In a statement accompanying the letter published on ICPEN’s website, the organization clarified that the letter “does not necessarily indicate that any individual ICPEN member will prioritise enforcement action on misleading environmental claims, and some member jurisdictions may have stricter or more specific rules in place.”
