H&M, Decathlon promise to improve sustainability information after regulator warning

Fashion chain H&M and sports chain Decathlon promised to better inform customers about their sustainability claims after the Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) reprimanded them for not doing so. As they promised improvement, the ACM will not fine them at this stage.

According to the ACM, H&M and Decathlon offer products with general labels like “ecodesign” and “conscious” but do not give any further explanation about what this means. “Consumers who want to make sustainable choices must be able to trust that the claims that companies make on their products or website are correct,” the ACM said. That means clearly stating why a product is a sustainable choice.

Decathlon and H&M promised to inform consumers more clearly, so they don’t accidentally mislead customers about their sustainability. They will also donate 400,000 euros and 500,000 euros, respectively, to various sustainable causes to compensate for their unclear sustainability claims, ACM said.

“We are pleased that the companies recognize that they should have informed more clearly about the sustainability of their products and that they will adjust various sustainability claims and the substantiation thereof,” said ACM board member Ateutje Hijmans van den Berg.

The ACM will monitor that these two clothing chains adhere to the agreements. The regulator is also investigating other companies active in the Dutch clothing market for similar misleading information but did not release their names as they don’t have headquarters in the Netherlands.