Online fashion and lifestyle retailer Zalando has made a series of commitments to remove sustainability flags and icons displayed next to products on its website that could mislead consumers about the environmental benefits of these products, following dialogue with the European Commission and European national consumption authorities, according to a statement from the Commission.
In a statement following the Commission's announcement, Zalando said:
“After more than a year of intensive work on customer experience and close dialogue with the European Commission, we are pleased to have reached a mutual agreement: our proposals to improve the communication of sustainability-related information to customers have been accepted and the proceedings against us have been discontinued, subject to the implementation of the agreed changes.”
The agreement comes as European lawmakers pursue a series of initiatives aimed at addressing greenwashing, protecting consumers from misleading information by companies and advocating for clearer communication to consumers about the environmental and social attributes of companies and products. .
Earlier this week, for example, the EU adopted legislation to update the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) and the Consumer Rights Directive (CRD) to include aspects related to the green transition and the circular economy, including rules aimed at make product labels clearer by prohibiting the use of generic environmental claims not supported by evidence and allow only sustainability labels intended to make product labels clearer by prohibiting the use of generic environmental claims not supported by evidence. Other consumer-oriented and sustainability-focused proposals underway by the European Commission include the Ecodesign Regulation, which aims to establish environmental sustainability requirements for products and improve information to consumers about the environmental sustainability of products, and the Green Claims Directive, requiring companies to substantiate and verify their environmental claims and labels.
Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice, said:
“Many consumers want to make their consumption more ecological. It is important that they have reliable information so that they can act accordingly and make truly sustainable consumption choices. We must also stop traders who might try to benefit from consumers' good intentions. I am pleased that a market leader like Zalando has abandoned these practices and decided to provide clear and specific information to consumers.”
As part of the new agreement with Zalando, the company has committed to a series of actions, including removing the sustainability flag from all web pages, as well as all misleading icons, such as a leaf or a tree, which were displayed next to products, to no longer use the term “sustainability” or other terms that indicate environmental or ethical benefits without justification, and to provide clear information about the product, such as the percentage of recycled materials used. Zalando has also committed to providing clear information about the sustainability benefits of products on product detail pages, and to revising its Sustainability Page with web pages with information about product standards and the company's sustainability-related approaches and strategies. sustainability, as well as ensuring that its environmental claims are based on significant environmental aspects.
In its statement, the company added:
“As a range of textile-specific legislation will be developed over the coming years, we encourage EU policymakers to establish a consistent regulatory framework that increases not only consumer confidence, but also consumer engagement, whilst providing security legal to companies. However, the outcome of our mutual agreement with the European Commission is a first step towards enlightening the industry on what a compliant sustainability experience could look like.”
