Four in 10 companies are using green advertising to mislead consumers into buying everything from clothes and cosmetics to food, a new study has found.

The global review, led by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), found that of the 500 websites it surveyed, 40% “appeared to be using tactics that could be considered misleading and therefore potentially break consumer law.”

Claims included “vague and unclear language” like ‘eco’ or ‘sustainable', as well as describing products as ‘natural’ without any explanation of what that means.

Some websites were found brandishing their own logos affirming a green record, despite not having any connections to accredited organizations. In other cases, companies hid or omitted information that would point to a product’s carbon footprint in order to make it look more eco-friendly.

“This is a global issue, so it’s only right that we look at it in a global context," said chief executive of the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority Andrea Coscelli, in a prepared statement.

“Our joint work with other regulators will help us identify the big issues facing consumers and protect people from paying a premium for fake ‘eco-friendly’ products.”

The international sweep is still in its early stages, and ICPEN members haven’t decided whether consumer protection laws have been broken, according to the U.K. watchdog. Legal action is regularly undertaken by individual member countries and their government consumer...

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