Starting April 15th, Zalando will remove its generic sustainability tags and claims, such as the images of leaves and trees. In their place, the e-commerce will need to provide detailed information regarding the product, such as percentage of reused materials. The push comes from the EU Commission, which proved to be determining in making a deal with Zalando come true. This sort of push began in 2022, when in the retailer received in Norway the Greenwashing Award from the national association for consumer rights, thanks to its sustainability filter. The reason behind it is that “concept and reality are far apart”.
Zalando needs to review its tags and claims
The new European directives against greenwashing land the first hit. Zalando has been forced to remove misleading icons on sustainability previously used on products. “Such statements can mislead consumers over the sustainability characteristics of the product”, reads a press release from the EU Commission, used by La Stampa. Starting April 15th, 2024, icons such as leaves and trees will no longer be present, with Zalando promising to replace them with clear and specific information regarding individual products. Moreover, Zalando has pledged to revise its “sustainability page”, which is to be substituted by two websites: one with additional info on product standards and the other showing the platform’s sustainability strategy. With these changes, Zalando will align itself with the EU’s directive.
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“Given that new laws will be applied in the future to the textile segment, we encourage EU’s politicians to create a coherent legislative framework. This should not only strengthen consumer trust but also protect their interests, all while applying the law fairly to businesses”, said Zalando, according to Fashion United. Consumer and national authorities (especially Norwegian ones) had focused on Zalando’s approach: a good idea, but with an application far from reality.
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