German Court Bans Adidas from Claiming Climate Neutral by 2050 in Landmark Greenwashing Ruling
In a major setback for corporate climate pledges a German court has ordered Adidas to stop advertising its ambition to become “climate neutral by 2050” ruling that the sportswear giant misled consumers with vague and unsupported claims.
On March 25, 2025, the Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court declared Adidas guilty of greenwashing term used for deceptive marketing that overstates environmental efforts. The court found that the company's claim lacked sufficient explanation and failed to disclose whether it would rely on carbon offsets to meet its goal.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in November 2024 by Environmental Action Germany (Deutsche Umwelthilfe or DUH), which challenged Adidas’ promotional statements as misleading. DUH welcomed the verdict, calling it a critical step towar...