Korea's four biggest SPA operators called plastic leather 'eco'

Korea's four biggest SPA operators all made the same marketing call: label synthetic leather as green. Musinsa Standard hashtagged products '#에코레더' (#EcoLeather) though the fabric was bought overseas with no environmental credentials; Topten sold 'Eco Leather' as '친환경 가치소비' — eco-friendly value consumption; SPAO printed 'ECO LEATHER 100%' and 'eco-friendly material'; Zara put eco wording on animal leather products. Every one of those items was polyester or polyurethane — petrochemical plastic.

On 15 May 2025 the Fair Trade Commission ruled the claims violated the Act on Fairness in Labeling and Advertising: 'eco', 'sustainable' and 'eco-friendly material' used with no evidence of any environmental benefit over the alternatives. The companies escaped fines — warnings only, because they corrected the listings once confronted — but the ruling was deliberate: the first greenwashing sanction against the fashion industry since the environmental labeling guidelines were overhauled in August 2024.

The KFTC framed the warnings as setting the baseline: vague eco language on hangtags and product pages is no longer a mood word, it is a claim that needs proof.

Korea's first fashion greenwashing sanction: KFTC ruled 'eco' on plastic leather was an unproven claim, not a mood word, and forced the wording off all four brands.

All four brands treated 'eco' as marketing seasoning for a petrochemical material because no one was checking.

The claims sat on cheap synthetic leather lines, where a green story is worth most and verification costs most.

The August 2024 guideline revision turned a tolerated practice into a violation overnight — the brands did not adjust in time.

'Eco' on a hangtag is a claim, not a mood word. Four national brands put it on plastic leather and drew the fashion industry's first greenwashing sanction — now every green claim needs proof.

All four companies corrected the labeling and advertising flagged by the KFTC. The warning became the reference case for environmental claims in Korean fashion retail, with the regulator stating it would keep concentrated checks on the industry.