Britain's ad regulator banned ads from adidas, Uniqlo, and Calvin Klein on June 24 for calling clothes "recycled" when only part of the garment was. Nobody complained: an in-house AI that scanned more than 60 million ads in 2025 flagged them.
The bar the ASA has now set:
- An absolute word ("recycled," "sustainable") has to be true of the whole product, not the best part.
- Partial content, a certification scheme, or "what shoppers really meant" will not save the claim.
- Six ads banned in under seven months, across adidas, Nike, Lacoste, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, and Superdry.
A banned ad is not a recalled garment, though. The clothes still ship. Turn it inside out yourself: the word on the tag is marketing, the garment is the fabric, the zip, and the label together.
