Zalando adheres to the rules of European Union (EU). The German company, the European Commission (EC) and national consumer protection authorities have reached an agreement to remove misleading “green” claims from April 15th which the marketplace displays together with the products offered on its platform. Instead, Zalando provides information about the actual ecological or ethical benefits of the productsas well as the proportion of recycled materials.
Zalando has specifically committed to this Remove the original sustainability flag from all websitesand any misleading environmental symbols displayed next to products, such as: B. Depictions of leaves or trees that may be misleading.
Likewise, dwill stop using the term “sustainability” or other terms that indicate environmental benefits, and instead introduced two explanatory tabs on product standards and Zalando’s sustainability approaches and strategies. «After more than a year of intensive work on our customers’ experiences and close dialogue with the European Commission, we are pleased to have reached an amicable agreement“said Zalando.
The company’s commitment comes at a time when the EU is working to further tighten regulation of environmental claims. In this context, The EC has proposed a directive on the justification of ecological claims to help consumers make sustainable purchasing decisions and prevent companies from making misleading claims about the environmental benefits of their products.
Fines
In case of non-compliance, the Commission warned in a statement, companies could face sanctions, including confiscation of income and “a fine of at least 4% of your annual turnover«.
The agreement is the result of a dialogue initiated between the company and the authorities following the start of a coordinated action in April 2022 Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC)consisting of the authorities responsible for enforcing EU consumer protection laws, led by Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
«It’s time to put an end to greenwashing. Our agreement on this text puts an end to the spread of misleading environmental claims that have misled consumers for too long. It also ensures that companies have the right tools to adopt true sustainability practices. European consumers want to make green and sustainable choices, and anyone offering products or services must ensure that their green claims are scientifically verified“, he defined Didier Reynders, Commissioner of Justice.
