Asos removes ‘Responsible Edit’ amid greenwashing probe
ASOS has taken off the sustainable category from its website amid greenwashing investigations launched by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
According to The i News, the online fast fashion retailer removed the Responsible Edit range and filter ahead of news that the CMA was investigating the fashion firm over its environmental claims.
The Responsible Edit claims to be the “one-stop home for all the environmentally conscious clothing, accessories and living items at ASOS”. It was launched in June 2019 alongside a new responsible filter which featured items which had been recycled or made with sustainable materials.
ASOS added the items from brands such as Monki, Collusion and ASOS Design, were selected for the edit if they met certain sustainability criteria, such as using recycled materials and sustainable fibres.
The move comes after the CMA wrote to ASOS, Boohoo and Asda to seek evidence over the brands’ eco-friendly and sustainability claims about their fashion products.
In January 2022, the CMA looked into the fashion industry and identified concerns around potentially misleading green claims. These included a number of companies creating the impression that their products were “sustainable”.
Sarah Cardell, interim CEO of the CMA, said: “People who want to ‘buy green’ should be able to do so confident that they aren’t being misled. Eco-friendly and sustainable products can play a role in tackling climate change, but only if they are genuine.
“This is just the start of our work in this sector and all fashion companies should take note: look at your own practices and make sure they are in line with the law.”
ASOS has responded that the Responsible Edit was “proactively” removed from its site in response to the CMA investigation.
An ASOS spokesperson told The i News: “ASOS took the decision to proactively remove the functionality of the Responsible Edit, including filters, from the website in June as we co-operated with the CMA’s review of the fashion retail sector and we informed them of this move.
“We continue to work closely with the CMA as part of its investigation and remain committed to playing our part in making fashion more sustainable.”
