Brand Compliance and Anti-Greenwashing Web Audits
Ensuring honest communication with unambiguous language
Combating Greenwashing: Ensuring Authentic Claims in Fashion
In recent years, the fashion industry has faced increasing scrutiny over greenwashing, where claims of sustainability are not substantiated by actual practices.
This phenomenon has become a critical issue as the push to reduce the pollution of production and overproduction intensifies. The language brands use needs to be clear and unambiguous, and the messages they send must be true and backed up to avoid misleading consumers.
“Every brand claim, from fabric sustainability to garment performance, must be substantiated to avoid significant penalties for misinformation”
The UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) and other global regulatory bodies have stepped up efforts to investigate and penalize well-known brands that make false claims about the sustainability of their products or practices.
These high-profile cases highlight the growing legal and consumer demands for genuine sustainability in fashion, making it imperative for brands to ensure their claims are defensible.
Understanding Greenwashing
Greenwashing in Fashion
Discusses the rise of greenwashing as a common term due to the industry's increased focus on reducing pollution and overproduction.
Clear Communication
Emphasises the importance of using precise, unambiguous language and making truthful, substantiated claims to avoid misleading consumers.
Regulatory Oversight and Compliance
CMA Investigations
Highlights recent investigations by the UK's Competition & Markets Authority into misleading sustainability claims by well-known brands.
Global Actions
Notes steps taken by other countries to combat fraudulent claims in the fashion industry.
We offer specialised support and guidance tailored to your brand's unique sustainability goals and challenges.
Anti-Greenwashing Web Audits
Offering audits of a website to check for any misleading language or terminology and offering solutions in how to substantiate any claims made, about the brand OR the product.
Regulatory Compliance Consulting
Navigate the complexities of sustainability regulations with expert advice, keeping your brand in good standing with bodies like the CMA and preventing costly legal issues.
Sustainability Messaging Evaluation
Evaluate and refine your sustainability communication, guaranteeing that your brand's messaging is both compelling and honest, thereby building stronger consumer trust.
Certification Verification and Advisory
Verify certifications and provide guidance on environmental standards, giving customers confidence in the eco-friendly nature of your products.
Terminology Standardisation
Harmonise product descriptions and sustainability terms across your communications, ensuring consistency and clarity for your consumers and stakeholders.
Clarifying Sustainability Communications
The Knowledge Nexus was tasked by a new client to undertake a comprehensive web audit before they launched their brand globally.
Web Audit for Clarity & Accuracy
Conducted a thorough audit of the brand’s website to identify and correct unclear language and misrepresentations in sustainability and certifications.
Language Optimisation
Assisted the team in amending the language around product and certification claims, highlighting their sustainability strengths and advising on better promotion of these attributes.
Strategic Messaging Recommendations - Provided guidance on more effectively discussing specific fabrics to best emphasise their role in the brand’s design, quality and product performance appeal.
The outcome
Removal of potentially misleading language around the brand’s sustainability and product claims.
Strengthened the existing messages by helping the team to better understand the intricacies of claim substantiation.
Provided the team with in depth fabric descriptions to better link them to the specific products to show how they affect the performance of the product.
Precision in Performance Claims
The Knowledge Nexus were asked to assist a current client’s team in elevating the technical claims around their products by undertaking a detailed web audit, focussing on fabric and product performance claims.
Targeted Web Audit
Investigated the brand’s technical claims and advised them on the necessary testing required in order to substantiate the claims made.
Guidance on Testing procedures
Provided guidance to ensure the correct testing by product to ensure their performance claims can be validated, and helped them navigate solutions where gaps were found.
Product Description Enhancements
Ongoing work with the brand to update their product descriptions and performance claims to elevate the product above their competitors whilst ensuring the language is clear and precise for accurate claims.
The outcome
Ensured that all product claims are substantiated by the relevant testing.
Reviewed all product types and claims made for existing styles to ensure a match, and offered corrections where needed within product descriptions.
