UK guidelines around greenwashing

June 22, 2021

In the latest issue of Apparel Insider, Sailesh Mehta examines the legal implications of new UK guidelines around greenwashing.

The UK has been looking at laws around environmental claims for several years yet there are several areas where the proposed new guidelines by the Competition and Markets Authorities (CMA) are potentially being broken by fashion brands.

Sailesh Mehta responded to the new guidelines from the CMA which aim to offer businesses an idea of the types of misleading green claims which would likely fall foul of the law.

Greenwashing is considered an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly.

Sailesh commented that due to the complexity of the problem “no consumer has the time or expertise to check every green claim made by a seller and that most sellers ‘sail close to the wind’ in that they are fully aware of the law, but are also aware of its limitations and fully exploit those limitations”

Sailesh Mehta specialises in regulatory law. He prosecutes and defends large corporations and their directors and advises institutions at a national level. He also lectures lawyers and judges on aspects of regulatory law internationally.

Apparel Insider is a bi-monthly printed magazine and website spotlighting financial and sustainability issues in the global textile value chain. The magazine examines apparel businesses and their financial performances including their commitment to sustainability, including environmental and CSR performance and associated global supply chain challenges.

Read full piece in Apparel Insider on page 14 attached: Apparel Insider ISSUE N19