Special Report Fighting back against false eco claims


• Evidence supporting any sustainability claim.


This ensures you can meet both procurement demands and compliance expectations.


Implementing a structured sustainability checklist helps ensure that: • All claims comply with UK CMA requirements.


• Product descriptions avoid vague or misleading language.


• Marketing, sales, and production teams stay aligned.


• You have traceability documentation ready for audits or buyer requests.


A consistent process protects against fines, forced claim withdrawals, or reputational damage.


“Using a trusted partner like Green Story adds a third-party guarantee that our data is trustworthy and credible.”


4. What these changes mean for printwear and promotion suppliers Across the P&P supply chain – from blanks distributors to custom print shops – three shifts are now essential: 1. Move from generic claims to evidence-based statements. Marketing and product descriptions must rely on measurable data, such as: • Carbon footprint per garment. • Water usage reductions. • Verified recycled content percentages. 2. Strengthen supply chain traceability. Know the fibre source, manufacturing facilities, environmental impacts, and certification validity for the garments you print on or sell.


3. Standardise your sustainability documentation.


Corporate buyers increasingly expect a consistent, auditable data pack that aligns with UK and EU expectations. Businesses that adopt these practices early will win more tenders and avoid compliance risk.


5. Case study: How one printwear supplier secured major contracts through stronger environmental data


Last year, a client of ours (mid-sized UK printwear supplier specialising in workwear) recently faced growing pressure from major clients in the construction sector who were revising their sustainability procurement criteria.


| 42 | January 2026 The challenges:


• Buyers wanted item-level impact data for best-selling cotton T shirts.


• Marketing copy using vague terms were flagged by buyer.


• EU competitors were beginning to offer LCA-backed product comparisons. The solution: • Introduced third-party verified environmental impact data across core SKUs.


• Standardised factory-level data gathering with a verification layer developed by Green Story.


• Built a ‘Sustainability Data Pack’ that sales teams could share with clients, and internally built a ‘Sustainability Communications Data Pack’ based on best practices advised by Green Story. The outcome.


• The company renewed their major client with verified environmental data stated as a key hurdle they cleared.


• The updated claims eliminated compliance risks flagged during internal audits.


6. Quick supplier request checklist (callout box)


When requesting information from your garment manufacturers or upstream suppliers, ask for: • Verified recycled content documentation.


• Fibre-level environmental impact data. • Energy/water usage from dyeing, knitting, or finishing facilities.


• Valid certifications (GOTS, GRS, OCS, Oeko-Tex, etc.).


• Chain-of-custody documentation.


Mantis’ Prama continued: “In an industry crowded with greenwash, transparency and evidence are critical to building trust. “When we look at technology partners who can help us to do this, it’s really important to work with organisations who understand the granular level of supply chains and have credible LCAs to verify the data.”


8. Reducing commercial risk Beyond compliance, a careful approach as outlined above protects your business by: • Improving your success rate in corporate tenders.


• Reducing back-and-forth with procurement teams.


• Minimising delays caused by missing sustainability documentation.


• Strengthening customer trust and repeat orders.


• Ensuring supply chain partners can support future EU requirements like DPP. In today’s printwear and promotional merchandise market, the risks of vague or unverified sustainability claims are higher than ever.


Prama concluded: “Ultimately, regulation is helping to raise the floor of the industry and businesses that act early will be better positioned when expectations become mandatory.”


Buyers are demanding proof, regulators are enforcing compliance, and reputational stakes are rising with every order. Yet this landscape also presents a clear opportunity: suppliers who adopt a data- driven, transparent approach can not only mitigate fines and greenwashing exposure but also strengthen client relationships, win tenders, and position themselves as trusted leaders in a sector increasingly defined by environmental accountability.


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


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