• ‘Sustainable’, ‘responsible’, ‘better for people and the planet’ – what does that actually mean?
• We check whether consumers received a clear answer as to what exactly is ‘eco’, on what scale, and under what conditions.
• The President of UOKiK has brought charges against Bolt, Tchibo, and Zara for so-called greenwashing. The fines may amount to up to 10% of turnover for each contested practice.

Today, ‘eco’ is one of the most powerful words in marketing – it can tip the scales of decision-making, prompting consumers to click ‘buy’, choose ‘eco delivery’, or pay extra for a ‘better’, i.e. more environmentally friendly, option. But the greater the consumer confidence in eco-slogans, the greater the responsibility of businesses: their declarations must be clear, verifiable, and complete – without omissions regarding conditions, limitations, or scale.

The President of UOKiK is checking whether the communications of Bolt, Tchibo, and Zara omitted key information, which could have led consumers to make decisions based on a falsely ‘green’ image. If the allegations are confirmed, the fines could reach up to 10% of turnover for each contested practice.

– Research confirms that Polish consumers are among the most trusting in the EU when it comes to environmental claims and statistically believe them significantly more often than the average EU citizen.* Green slogans cannot be a mental shortcut or a guessing game: if a company says ‘100%’, ‘emission-free’, or ‘recyclable’, it must mean exactly that – clearly, with data, and on a scale that can be verified – says Tomasz Chróstny, the President of UOKiK.

‘Zero-emission vehicles’ and ‘100% renewable energy’ at Bolt

In the case of Bolt, the allegations concern the way the company communicates the ‘zero-emission’ nature of its vehicles and the type of energy it uses in the services it offers, such as rides, food delivery, car rental, and micro-mobility. The problem arises when the slogan suggests a standard that applies only to a certain aspect of the business or to one stage in the entire life cycle of electric vehicles. Messages about ‘zero-emission vehicles’ – for example, as part of ‘Project Zero’ with announcements of an increase in the number of zero-emission vehicles – may give consumers the impression that Bolt’s services are mainly provided by electric vehicles, or that the number of ‘zero-emission rides’ is predominant. However, the services are primarily provided by internal combustion engine vehicles, and the share of electric vehicles is very limited. In addition, ‘zero-emission’ may be understood as zero emissions in general if it is not specified that this term refers only to the driving stage and not to emissions across the entire life cycle of the vehicle. The same applies to the slogan ‘100% renewable energy’ for offices, warehouses, and charging stations. In practice, this 100% may be based largely on certificates (EACs) that offset the energy consumed, rather than on the direct purchase of energy from renewable sources. If this is not explained clearly and simply, the message may mislead consumers.

Being ‘eco-friendly’ according to Tchibo

In the Tchibo online shop and app, individual products are or were marked with labels such as ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘sustainable’ or with a green leaf symbol. However, there is no clear information about what exactly this means and what criteria these products must meet. The method of qualifying them and setting grossly low thresholds that make this possible also raises concerns. On the Tchibo website, consumers could find products with this label even though they are largely made of synthetic materials such as polyester, polyamide, and polyacrylic, which are generally derived from fossil fuels. In the case of so-called hard goods, i.e. products other than food or textiles, the trader labelled as ‘eco’ products containing as little as 10% recycled material, for example.

A separate issue concerns Cafissimo capsules and communication about their recycling. In its marketing communications, Tchibo emphasises that the capsules are ‘recyclable’, ‘made exclusively from recyclable materials’ and that after being disposed of in a yellow bin or bag for metal and plastic waste, they ‘return to the material cycle’. Such a message may lead consumers to conclude that this process is universal and unconditional. The limitation of the declaration is indicated only in the form of a note on the product packaging stating that it applies solely to Germany and Austria and is provided in English and German, which means that Polish consumers buying online did not have full information. The recycling conditions in Poland are also relevant in this case. In practice, unemptied capsules are often not processed, so the message about their ‘return to the material cycle’ may be misleading.

Zara and its ‘Join Life’

‘Join Life’ is the name of Zara’s section and communication on its website and app, where the company describes its activities and goals related to the environment and a ‘sustainable’ approach. Within this section and on product pages, general ‘green’ slogans and assurances appeared, including references to renewable energy, ‘zero waste’, ‘net zero emissions’, the implementation of the ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals’ and programmes to ensure compliance with standards. However, these declarations were not accompanied by clear information about their scope, scale, and limitations.

The ‘Join Life’ tabs also featured messages about the ‘responsible and sustainable management of natural resources’, reducing water consumption, and protecting biodiversity. Consumers could gain the impression that the declared effects and standards broadly apply to the company’s activities or that purchasing Zara clothing actually supports these goals. Such a message, often presented alongside references to environmental certification of products, could further suggest that the purchase of goods supports the achievement of important social and environmental goals and that the company ‘guarantees’ compliance with social and environmental standards through monitoring programmes and audits. For example, the slogan ‘zero waste in our own facilities’ may have applied in Poland only to a small part of the chain, even as little as 1 in 40 stores, and not to all outlets. At the same time, the website featured statements such as: ‘100% energy from renewable sources in our facilities’, i.e. in shops and offices, ‘Zero waste’, and ‘Zero net emissions’. These slogans are presented in general terms, without indicating the scope and scale of the activities, which means that consumers may interpret them as describing all of the company’s activities or effects, whereas in reality their meaning is very limited.

In the case of product cards and certification labels, consumers can see the percentage of raw material and the certification abbreviation, which can easily be interpreted as an indication that almost the entire product meets a specific standard. However, the actual proportion of certified raw material may vary. The doubts concern the omission of key information: how much certified raw material is actually in the product, what the proportion of recycled material is, what exactly the indicated certificate means, and what it actually guarantees. As a result, consumers’ conclusions about the scale of the product’s ‘sustainability’ or the impact of their purchase on environmental goals may be incorrect.

Eco baloney under scrutiny

These are further actions taken by UOKiK in relation to suspected greenwashing, commonly referred to as eco baloney. Recently, the President of UOKiK has brought charges against Allegro, DHL, DPD, and InPost, among others, in cases where ‘eco’ claims were based on incomplete data, concerned only a part of the business, or contained conditions that were not sufficiently clear to consumers.

How not to fall for the eco baloney?

• Beware of greenwashing. Honest environmental claims such as ‘eco’, ‘natural’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ should be backed up by hard data. Pay attention to whether the entrepreneur provides: names of materials, percentage of ingredients, source of origin.
• Don’t be guided solely by the graphic design. Green colour, leaf or planet images are often merely graphic elements that suggestively influence perception – they are not proof of a product’s environmental friendliness.
• Be careful when you see comparisons. Slogans such as ‘more eco-friendly than others’ are meaningless unless they clearly indicate what the comparison refers to.
• Remember that being ‘green’ in one aspect does not necessarily mean that the entire product is environmentally friendly.

* Consumer attitudes towards so-called ‘green’ declarations and the level of trust in claims about the environmental friendliness of products are analysed in comparative studies conducted in European Union countries, including as part of the Consumer Conditions Survey.