Deichmann is no longer allowed to advertise certain products with blanket sustainability promises.
An injunction brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which was dealt with by the Bochum regional court, was upheld, as it announced on Wednesday. The focus of the process was the advertising of a shoe with the claim “Sustainability: Yes” – without a sufficient explanation of specific environmental benefits.
After the court had signaled in advance that it wanted to uphold the lawsuit, Deichmann made an acknowledgment. The Essen shoe retailer undertakes to refrain from the complained advertising practice in the future. According to the DUH, Deichmann had given several thousand items in the online shop a sustainability label, but without any comprehensible or transparent justification. From the DUH’s point of view, this is not only non-transparent, but also misleading for consumers who are increasingly attaching importance to understandable environmental promises.
Deichmann, in turn, points out that the labeling in the online shop was only used for a short time and was not sufficiently explained at the time. After an initial indication, this had already been corrected. The DUH’s lawsuit was nevertheless filed. The company recognizes the judgment that is now pending in order to formally close the matter. At the same time, the chain store emphasizes that sustainability remains a central concern for the group and that it is working to provide customers with clearer and more reliable information in the future.
“Anyone who advertises sustainability must also provide concrete evidence of what makes the product ecologically better,” commented DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch. “Consumer deception not only damages the company’s credibility, but also the market for truly environmentally friendly products.”