Key takeaways
Through the Open Letter to the Fashion and Textile Sector about Environmental Claims, it is suggested to adopt measures to protect consumers when making environmental claims. This ensures that consumers can make well-informed decisions based on accurate, clear, and relevant information of a product or service, and that these claims are supported by reliable and scientific evidence.
With respect to the environmental claims addressed to consumers, ICPEN and the SIC recommend:
- Ensure any claims made are truthful, clear and accurate
- Have sufficient evidence to substantiate the claim
- Refrain from using product specific claims that are based on evidence that is not specific to the product, for example global average numbers
- Consider the full life cycle of the product when making a claim, including whether there are any negative impacts that would undermine the claim
- Focus on environmental measures only when significant to the product's total environmental impact
- Refrain from using vague and general claims such as "eco-friendly", "green" or "sustainable"
- Where a claim requires action by the consumer, and this is not readily apparent, explain clearly what action needs to be taken
In relation to the product labels, ICPEN and SIC suggest:
- Fabrics of the clothes should be described clearly and precisely, rather than using vague and general terms
- Explain what components or processes are covered by the scheme, if this is not immediately clear to the consumer
Although the Letter is a soft law tool, the SIC may use it to interpret and enforce consumer protection laws.
Additional information
Please do not hesitate to contact us in case you have any questions or require our advice.
For more information, the SIC's communication can be consulted at the following link.
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Click here to read the Spanish version.
