Sustainable, green, eco-friendly, low-emission: on Zalando’s website, you will not find any of these terms associated with the clothes they sell. On April 15, 2024, the German e-commerce company removed them all, together with the environmental icons that were attached to some products described as having a low impact on the environment.
For the European Commission, “such claims may mislead consumers about the environmental characteristics of products.”
Zalando corrected its green claims: no more misleading terms and clearer information about the environmental impact of products. It did this two and a half years before it becomes mandatory, when, in September 2026, the European Green Claims Directive will be effective and generic terms such as sustainable or environmentally friendly will be banned by law. That is why we at The Washing News assign the company a green light, as a model of what a company should do to correct generic environmental communication that is misleading to consumers.
https://thewashingnews.com/en/green-claims-directive-ue/
First: all the “sustainability” on the Zalando site
Until one year ago on Zalando’s website, among the search filters, in addition to “size,” “brand,” “color,” and “price,” you could also find the heading “sustainability,” declined into a number of subcategories such as “social impact,” “materials used,” “water preservation,” “animal protection,” and “emission reduction.” In this way, interested customers could choose products to purchase by selecting them on the basis of their impact on the environment, at least what Zalando claimed to be their impact on the environment.
In addition to the search filters, the concept sustainability, also appeared in some environmental icons, in the shape of a leaf or a tree, juxtaposed with the names of items proposed by the company as particularly environmentally friendly.
For the European Commission, however, “such claims may mislead consumers about the environmental characteristics of the products.” So Zalando has pledged to remove them and make its environmental communication clearer and not misleading.
Next: a new environmental communication
“Following a dialogue with the Commission and national consumer protection authorities, Zalando has committed to remove misleading sustainability indicators and icons displayed next to products offered on the platform.” We read these words in a note published on the European Commission’s website. And again, “Starting from April 15, 2024, the icons will no longer appear; instead, Zalando will provide clear information about the environmental benefits of the products, such as the percentage of recycled materials used.”
Specifically, the company has eliminated:
- the sustainability flag initially used by all web pages;
- all misleading environmental icons that were displayed next to products (such as a leaf or tree).
- the term “sustainability”, or other unwarranted terms indicating an environmental and/or ethical benefit;
- the icons and the term “sustainability” also from the filter and allowing consumers to filter and select products based on specific product qualities.
And, instead, to ensure more correct environmental information the company:
- added clear and specific information about the environmental and/or ethical benefits of the product on the product details page, such as a percentage figure of the amount of recycled material used;
- revised the “Sustainability Page” by introducing two new web pages: one with more information on product standards and one with information on Zalando’s sustainability-related approaches and strategies;
- ensures that the environmental statements provided are based on environmentally significant aspects.
The check on commitments
The European Commission note adds that “Zalando will then submit a report on the implementation of its commitments. Based on this report, the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC), a consumer protection authority, will assess how Zalando has implemented the commitments and, where necessary, enforce compliance, for example by imposing fines or removing content.
“I am happy that a market leader like Zalando has now abandoned these practices and decided to provide clear and specific information to consumers,” commented European Commission Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders.
