Adidas ran Google ads calling sneakers 'recycled' — the ASA banned them for lying

On June 24, 2026, the UK Advertising Standards Authority banned paid Google search ads from Adidas, Uniqlo, and Calvin Klein, ruling that all three brands used the word 'recycled' in ways they could not substantiate. The Adidas ad promoted 'recycled running shoes' without evidence of recycled content; Calvin Klein advertised T-shirts as 'responsibly sourced' and Uniqlo promoted coats made from 'recycled materials' without supporting documentation.

The rulings were part of a broader ASA enforcement push that began in late 2025, when the regulator banned ads from Nike, Lacoste, and Superdry on similar grounds. Six major fashion brands in seven months — all using the same imprecise environmental language. The ASA's Active Ad Monitoring system flagged the ads automatically; none of the brands could produce sufficient evidence when challenged.

For Adidas, the UK ban came 15 months after a German court had already ruled against the brand for misleading 'climate neutral by 2050' advertising. The Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court found in March 2025 that Adidas failed to define its pathway to climate neutrality or disclose its reliance on carbon offsets. The German case was brought by Environmental Action Germany (DUH) and marked a landmark ruling on vague climate pledges.

The twin regulatory hits exposed a pattern: Adidas had been marketing sustainability without the substantiation to back it up. In an era when streetwear consumers increasingly factor sustainability into purchasing decisions, the brand's credibility took a double blow — first in Germany, then in the UK.