Almost half of shopping websites exaggerating green credentials

In more than 50% of cases, authorities said sites did not provide enough information to back up their claims. File Picture.

European authorities have vowed to crack down on firms embellishing their environmental credentials after an EU-wide consumer probe found almost half (42%) of websites and shopping portals contained false or deceptive claims.

The European Commission, in conjunction with the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network, carries out annual 'sweeps' on various issues that could be damaging to consumers, and in November it set its sights on investigating and assessing green claims in various business sectors.