Greenwashing Crackdown TIMELINE

The document outlines a series of global efforts to combat greenwashing from January 2021 to March 2023. Key events include the introduction of legal sanctions in France, the UK CMA's Green Claims Code and industry investigations, and specific legal challenges against brands like H&M, Adidas, and Allbirds. It also highlights the role of the Changing Markets Foundation in exposing misleading claims and the impact of regulatory bodies in Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia on corporate sustainability reporting.

• Regulatory bodies in the UK and Netherlands conducted a global review of websites and found that 40% of online green claims could be misleading to consumers.
• France has implemented two significant legal measures: a law imposing sanctions of up to 80% of a promotional campaign's cost for greenwashing, and the Climate and Resilience Law requiring greenhouse gas emission reports for products claiming carbon neutrality.
• The fashion industry has been a primary target for greenwashing crackdowns, with the UK CMA launching a sector-wide investigation and specific companies such as H&M, Adidas, Allbirds, and Everlane facing lawsuits or regulatory reprimands.
• The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) faced significant setbacks, including being declared illegal by the Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority and a Quartz investigation finding over half of H&M's Higg Index scorecards were misleading.
• In March 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigated 247 companies, identifying the fashion and packaging sectors as having the highest proportion of concerning environmental claims.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (n.d.). Greenwashing Crackdown TIMELINE. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-Greenwash-timeline-March-2023-.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. Greenwashing Crackdown TIMELINE. n.d. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-Greenwash-timeline-March-2023-.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=Greenwashing Crackdown TIMELINE |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-Greenwash-timeline-March-2023-.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundationndgreenwashing, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{Greenwashing Crackdown TIMELINE}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CM-Greenwash-timeline-March-2023-.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }