BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM - Half of the sustainability claims on company websites are unproven, vague, unclear or downright deceptive, according to the European Commission. Clothing companies in particular jump on terms like ‘sustainable’ above average without explaining themselves in more detail. Since 2021, both Dutch and Belgian government agencies have therefore been scouring the internet for misleading sustainability claims.
Between May 2023 and April 2024, Belgian journalist Sarah Vandoorne spoke with 12 apparel companies, seven of which received inspections and five received warnings during 2022. During the same period, Dutch journalist Nora Veerman spoke with 10 clothing companies, three of which were challenged on misleading sustainability claims by consumer authorities.
In addition, Veerman and Vandoorne talked at length with the agencies that conduct greenwashing inspections. In Belgium this is the Economic Inspection of the Federal Public Service Economy, in the Netherlands the Consumer and Market Authority. Vandoorne and Veerman also spoke to business consultants, MEPs, industry associations and professors in the fields of sustainability reporting and consumer law.
Finally, Fiore Farhand was also involved. As part of her master's studies in Critical Fashion Practices, she collaborated on this research, focusing specifically on a comparative study of sustainability pages on brand websites.
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