Fashion giants Adidas, Calvin Klein and Uniqlo have been rapped as part of a major probe into corporate greenwashing in adverts.

Each of the retailers has had online adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for using the term “recycled” in a misleading way. 

The bans came as part of a major crackdown by the advertising regulator on fashion companies’ use of misleading claims about the environmental footprint of their clothing.

The UK arm of Adidas was probed over a Google ad which included the strapline: “Adidas recycled running shoes […] check out our recycled shoe range today.”

When questioned by the regulator, the German-based sportswear titan conceded that it does not operate a standalone range of recycled running shoes, saying instead that certain products across their collections “might incorporate recycled materials”.

‘Risk that people could be misled’

The ASA said it “expected to see evidence showing that all shoes in a recycled running shoe range were made entirely from recycled material”, and banned the ad after this evidence could not be supplied.

Calvin Klein Europe was censured by the regulator for operating a Google advert which stated: “Calvin Klein tops for women. Responsibly sourced collections – recycled, organic & more.”

The ASA added that consumers would expect that all of the tops in this collection were entirely made from recycled fabrics, and deemed that the fashion firm failed to give enough information about the composition of these clothes.

A Google ad paid for by the UK arm of Japanese streetwear brand Uniqlo misled consumers by suggesting that all of the fleeces pictured were made from recycled materials, the regulator found.

Lacoste, Nike, Superdry also rapped

The ASA banned the ad because, while the main body fabric of the items were made from recycled polyester, they included non-recycled zips and labels.

These latest actions come after the regulator banned ads by Lacoste, Nike and Superdry at the end of last year for making misleading environmental claims.

Miles Lockwood, the ASA’s director of complaints, said: “When absolute terms like ‘recycled’ are used, the basis of those claims should be clearly explained and properly supported by evidence. Without that, there’s a risk that people could be misled.

“We’ll be continuing to monitor ads making green claims, taking action where we do see ads breaking the rules, whilst also supporting advertisers with advice and guidance to help them get it right.”

Adidas, Calvin Klein and Uniqlo were approached for comment.