The British competition authority CMA has launched an investigation into the fast fashion brands ASOS, Boohoo and George, part of the British supermarket chain Asda. The Competition and Markets Authority says it wants to get to the bottom of whether the companies with ecological and sustainability claims are misleading their customers and thus engage in greenwashing. The watchdog will also look into whether other British companies should also be scrutinized. The CMA reported this on Friday.
In January, the CMA targeted the fashion sector, on which the British spent £54 billion annually in 2020. Then the competition authority noted a concern about potentially misleading green claims. For example, some brands created the impression “that their products were sustainable or better for the environment (for example, through general claims about the use of recycled materials in new clothing) with little to no information about the basis for those claims or which products were involved” , the CMA said in a press release.
Sustainable collections
Now the CMA will investigate whether the statements made by ASOS, Boohoo and George are too general and vague and could give the impression that certain clothing collections (“Responsible edit” by ASOS, “Ready for the Future” by Boohoo and “George for Good “”) are more environmentally friendly than they actually are. The watchdog will check whether the criteria used by the brands to include products in supposedly sustainable collections are lower than customers expect. The CMA will also investigate whether the information the brands distribute about certain products and where those items come from, is flawed or even potentially misleading.
The beginning
“People who want to buy ‘green’ need to be confident that they are not being misled. Environmentally friendly and sustainable products can play a role in tackling climate change, but only if they are real,” said CMA Director Sarah Cardell in the declaration. “If we find that these companies are using misleading ecological claims, we will not hesitate to take action – through the courts if necessary.” And that’s not all. “This is just the beginning of our work in this sector and all fashion companies should pay attention: look at your own practices and make sure they are in compliance with the law,” Cardell warns.
ASOS, Boohoo and Asda have already indicated that they are willing to cooperate with the investigation.
Emissions
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the clothing industry is responsible for one-tenth of global carbon dioxide emissions. That is more than international air traffic and shipping combined, Bloomberg writes. In addition, one fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year comes from the clothing industry.
Also see: Greenwashing will be punished harder from now on
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