ASA bans Nike, Superdry and Lacoste ads over exaggerating sustainability claims

The ASA said all three failed to provide evidence to support the sustainability claims and that the ads risked misleading customers who wish to make environmentally friendly choices.

The ads used terms such as “sustainable”, “sustainable materials” or “sustainable style”, but did not provide evidence to support such claims.

A Google ad for Nike stated the brand’s tennis polo shirts had “sustainable materials”, but the ASA found the meaning of this had not been made clear and, due to no evidence to support it, it concluded the ad was likely to mislead.

Nike said the ad was “framed in general terms” and was intended to relate to a range of its products and services instead of a single item, adding consumers would interpret “sustainable materials” as suggesting that some, not all, products contained materials designed with a reduced environmental impact.

It added: “We have engaged with the UK Advertising Standards Authority on this matter and have taken the necessary required actions.

“We remain committed to providing consumers with clear information to help them make the choices that are right for them.”

In a recent ad, Superdry mentioned “sustainable style” and added “unlock a wardrobe that combines style and sustainability”.

The retailer said customers would understand this to mean products in the collection were either stylish or had sustainable qualities, or both.

The ASA said it understood 64% of all Superdry products bought in 2024 contained sustainably sourced materials.

The authority said: “We considered that without qualification the ‘sustainable’ claim was ambiguous and unclear. The claim was absolute and, therefore, a high level of substantiation in support needed to be produced.”

It concluded the ad was likely to mislead and welcomed Superdry’s decision to remove the advert.

A Google ad for Lacoste mentioned that its kids collection featured sustainable clothing, but it acknowledged “green”, “sustainable” and “eco-friendly” claims were difficult to prove and removed the ad as soon as the complaint came through.

ASA operations manager of the green project team Justine Grimley said: “We know that people are increasingly looking to make greener choices, so it’s important that advertisers are clear and upfront when making environmental claims.

“Broad or unproven statements risk giving a misleading picture of how environmentally-friendly a product really is.

“These rulings send a clear message that advertisers must be able to back up their green claims with solid evidence, so people get fair, accurate information when they’re choosing what to buy.”