A German court has ruled that Adidas cannot continue to advertise its climate neutrality initiatives as it has been doing. This decision stems from a lawsuit filed by the environmental NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH), which successfully argued that Adidas misled consumers by failing to outline specific actions for achieving climate neutrality beyond 2030.
On March 25, the Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court ordered Adidas to cease its claims of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The court highlighted that the term “climate neutral” is vague and emphasized that Adidas should have provided a clear explanation of what it entails in its marketing material to avoid misleading consumers.
Jürgen Resch, the Federal Director of DUH, stated, “Adidas deceived its customers with its claims of supposed climate neutrality. The key consideration is whether the company is genuinely aligning its products and operations with improved climate compatibility. This court ruling underscores the necessity for clear and transparent future commitments.”
Adidas is considering an appeal against this ruling.
In response, an Adidas spokesperson commented, “For us, this decision does not necessitate any immediate action. It pertains only to specific wording on our website, which we already modified in August 2024. Our plans and targets for emission reductions remain unchanged. Our ambitious climate goals have been evaluated and confirmed by the external and independent Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Additionally, in February 2025, we received an ‘A’ grade for our climate program from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). We have made significant progress, with a 20% reduction in absolute emissions, including those from our supply chain, since 2022.”
Adidas’ Sustainability Efforts
According to its website, Adidas aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, following SBTi guidelines that align with a 1.5°C trajectory. By 2030, the company’s targets include a 70% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, as well as a 43% reduction in Scope 3 emissions.
In its 2024 annual report, Adidas highlighted its progress with reductions of:
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17% in Scope 1 and 2 emissions
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20% in Scope 3 emissions
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5.3% in carbon intensity
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20% across all three scopes.
