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Irish Independent
03-07-2025
- Irish Independent
CCPC to probe manipulation of players as young as three by makers of online games
The Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) was one of more than 20 national authorities involved, and said it will now assess individual businesses for potential breaches of EU and Irish consumer protection law. The probe, coordinated by the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network (ICPEN), examined 439 mobile and online games to identify potential consumer harms. The ICPEN report did not name individual games or developers where it had found evidence of potentially harmful practices. Parental controls aimed at protecting minors were only found in a small subsection of games It said it had found evidence of several design techniques being used across the sector that may aim to manipulate players as young as three into making decisions or purchases they wouldn't otherwise make. Potentially problematic practices include so-called sneaking, where information is intentionally withheld or hidden – for example the real-world price of virtual in-game currencies. Nagging is another technique used to squeeze money from players and involves repeated, seemingly endless notifications or reminders, leading to a player agreeing to an action, such as make an in-app purchase out of frustration. Obstruction – where a game is intentionally designed to block a player in a certain way that frustrates them into making a decision or purchase to progress further – is also a feature of some games. The authorities also looked at other potentially harmful consumer practices in how games used loot boxes – in-game rewards which can be bought with real or virtual currency, or earned by watching in-game ads. Just 30pc of games with loot boxes disclosed these facts at the download stage, including in games rated for children as young as three. Parental controls and other practices aimed at protecting minors were only found in a small subsection of the games included in the sweep. Of the games that did include parental controls, only a minority were classed as easy to set up and reinforce. The annual ICPEN sweep took place between March 31 and April 11, 2025. ICPEN said it has uncovered the presence of several practices that could potentially harm consumers. 'Given the prevalence of these practices in video games, and the worldwide reach of this entertainment industry, the participating members of the sweep recommend more action from the industry, regulatory bodies and legislators,' ICPEN said.
Fibre2Fashion
02-06-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Fashion retailers, textile sector cautioned over likely greenwashing
A joint open letter by members of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), a worldwide network of more than 70 consumer protection authorities, recently called on the fashion retail sector and textile industry to review their commercial practices to ensure their environmental claims comply with consumer law. The letter urges retailers to avoid using vague and general claims like describing items of clothing as 'conscious', 'green' or 'sustainable'. The International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network has called on the fashion retail sector and textile industry to review their practices to ensure their environmental claims comply with consumer law. It urges retailers to avoid using vague claims like terming apparel as conscious, green or sustainable, and warns against overstating the significance of their environmental measures. As concerns over potential greenwashing in advertising campaigns across the fashion industry grow, the fashion retail sector, which, as the letter indicates, is currently responsible for an estimated 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 20 per cent of global wastewater, has attracted particular attention. The letter cautions traders against overstating the significance of their environmental measures and asks them to ensure that any improvements made are marketed in a 'proportionate' way and not given 'undue emphasis in' marketing. The letter also calls on retailers to avoid making claims based on data that is not sufficiently specific to the product, such as claiming that an item of clothing automatically has a lower environmental impact because it is made of organic cotton instead of conventional cotton. ICPEN cautioned against using self-made labelling schemes and misuse of third-party certifications, adding that labels 'should give an accurate impression of the environmental performance of the product.' Retailers should also be specific when using sustainability filters in online stores and should focus their marketing on specific measures already being taken, rather than making unsubstantiated claims about future aspirations. Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC); the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission; and the Spanish Directorate General for Consumer Affairs, were among the 20 global organisations that endorsed the letter. In a statement accompanying the letter on ICPEN's website, the organisation said that it 'does not necessarily indicate that any individual ICPEN member will prioritise enforcement action on misleading environmental claims, and some member jurisdictions may have stricter or more specific rules in place.' Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Fashion United
01-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Green claims: 20 consumer watchdogs write open letter to fashion and textile sector
A total of 20 consumer watchdogs have signed off on a letter calling for the standardisation of requirements for green claims. The letter, which can be read on the website of the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), includes signatories from the consumer watchdogs of the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Spain, Poland, France and Hungary. The watchdogs hope that the standard will be raised when it comes to making green claims. 'National laws may differ, but this letter emphasises that the same basic principles apply to companies in many different countries.' International watchdogs take up their pens against greenwashing These basic principles are: ensure that claims are fair, clear and accurate; have enough evidence to support the claim; avoid the use of vague and general terms; and do not focus on future wishes, but focus on measures that have already been taken to achieve goals. Furthermore, the letter states that the watchdogs are calling for self-made certificates to be avoided. 'ICPEN members have seen an increase in environmental labels created by the company itself or external parties. Certificates must give an accurate impression of the environmental impact of the product. If this is not the case, the use of such a label is a misleading claim.' ICPEN also indicates that certificates are sometimes used for marketing an entire product, while the certificate is only valid for a part of the product. Criticism is also being voiced on the use of a 'sustainable' filter in online shops. As the conditions of this filter are often unclear, consumers may get the impression that products are better than they are. ICPEN recommends, for example, converting the filter to specific certificates or to, for example, "at least 50 percent recycled material". ICPEN and the signatories of the letter indicate that they are open to discussions with brands and stakeholders who want to discuss the content of the letter. At European level, work is being done on the Green Claims Directive. The exact legislation is still being tightened and will not come into effect until 2027 at the earliest. Misleading environmental claims are being tackled with the Green Claims Directive and the EU is appointing national watchdogs to enforce it. If a company is found to be in violation of the guidelines, a fine of at least 4 percent of annual turnover can be imposed. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
