Walk through a clothes shop, or scroll through an online one, and the vocabulary of environmental virtue is hard to miss. Collections are “conscious” or “responsible”. Fabrics are “eco” or “planet-friendly”. A green leaf appears beside a product, and a filter at the top of the page promises to show only the items that meet some standard. For anyone who wants to buy better, it is hard to know how much of this is information and how much is decoration.
The UK regulator has been asking the same question, and its answer has become a useful tool for shoppers. The principles it applies to businesses are also, usefully, a checklist for readers.
What the regulator expects
The Competition and Markets Authority published its Green Claims Code to help businesses avoid misleading environmental claims. It applies across all sectors, and it covers adverts, labelling, packaging, product names and any accompanying information. Its six principles are plain enough to be worth knowing:
- Claims must be truthful and accurate. A business must live up to what it says about its products and activities.
- Claims must be clear and unambiguous. The meaning a shopper is likely to take from the wording should match the facts.
- Claims must not leave out or hide important information. A claim should not stop someone from making an informed choice because of what is missing.
- Comparisons must be fair and meaningful. The things being compared should serve the same need or purpose.
- The full life cycle must be considered. A claim about one stage should not hide the impact of the product overall.
- Claims must be substantiated. The business should be able to demonstrate the evidence behind what it says.
None of this is a ban on talking about sustainability. It is a requirement that the talk be honest, specific and backed up.
What happened in fashion
The principles became concrete in the fashion sector. The CMA opened an investigation in July 2022 into the environmental claims of three retailers, ASOS, Boohoo and George at Asda, looking at whether their marketing could mislead customers about how sustainable their collections were. In March 2024, the regulator accepted formal undertakings from the three businesses.
The commitments are a useful guide to what the regulator considers problematic. As published, the retailers agreed to use only accurate and not misleading green claims, with key information clear and prominent. In particular, they agreed to:
- Replace vague terms with specific ones. Statements about materials should be specific and clear, such as “organic” or “recycled”, instead of ambiguous terms like “eco”, “responsible” or “sustainable” without further explanation.
- Show the percentage. Where a product includes recycled or organic fibres, the proportion should be easy for customers to see.
- Be careful with imagery. They agreed not to use natural imagery, such as green leaves, logos or icons, in a way that misrepresents a product’s environmental credentials.
- Make filters honest. Product filters should show only items that meet the criteria they claim.
- Support targets. Claims about environmental targets should rest on a clear and verifiable strategy.
The CMA also published an open letter to the wider fashion sector, encouraging other businesses to review their own claims in light of the case. The undertakings are not a verdict that the businesses did something unlawful, but they set out a benchmark that applies well beyond those three.
The stakes have risen
The regulator’s position has become firmer since. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, whose consumer protection provisions came into force on 6 April 2025, the CMA can directly decide that a business has broken consumer protection law and impose fines of up to 10 per cent of global annual turnover. Misleading environmental claims fall within those rules, and businesses that make them now face a more direct form of enforcement than before.
How to read a claim as a shopper
You do not need to be a regulator to ask good questions. A few habits turn the principles into practical filters.
Look for specifics. “Made with 60 per cent recycled polyester” is a statement you can check. “Made with care for the planet” is not. The more precise a claim is about a material, a process or a result, the more useful it is.
Ask what the claim covers. A garment can contain a recycled component and still have a large impact in other ways. A claim about one part of a product is not a claim about the whole. If the wording does not say what it covers, be cautious.
Be wary of a whole collection described as sustainable. Claims about an entire range are often vaguer than claims about a single fabric, and they are harder to substantiate. A collection label should lead you to the details, not replace them.
Treat symbols and colours as decoration, not evidence. Leaves, globes and the colour green carry no information on their own. A symbol is only meaningful if it refers to a recognised standard that you can look up.
Notice comparisons. “Uses 30 per cent less water” needs a “than what”. A comparison with nothing to compare it to is a slogan.
Check the fibre label. The legally required fibre composition label tells you what the garment is made of, in descending order. It is the most reliable fact you will find, and it sits alongside whatever the marketing says.
What good information looks like
Honest sustainability information is usually modest. It names the material, gives a percentage, explains what is different about the process, and admits what has not been solved. It is often found in the product details, not in a headline, and it may be unglamorous. A brand that says clearly what it has changed, and is equally clear about what it has not, is giving you something to work with.
It also tends to be consistent. If a brand’s website describes a large commitment but the product page cannot say what the garment is made from, the gap is informative.
Beyond the label
A claim, however careful, is only part of what makes a garment better for the environment. The longer you wear something, the less its production matters per wear; mending, resale and swapping extend that further. A well-made piece that you keep for years will often do more good than a new item labelled as responsible. That is not a reason to ignore labels, but it is a reason to keep them in proportion.
The most useful change in the last few years is that vague language in this area is no longer simply a marketing choice. It is something regulators are watching and enforcing. For shoppers, that makes it a little easier to expect specifics, and to notice when they are missing.
This article is general information about consumer protection and environmental claims, not legal advice. Regulators’ guidance and case outcomes change; see the Competition and Markets Authority for current information.
Sources: GOV.UK, CMA (ASOS, Boohoo and Asda greenwashing investigation); Linklaters (CMA publishes Green Claims Code); CMS (DMCC Act consumer provisions come into force)
