Online retailer Boohoo is still using the term ‘leather’ in descriptions of products made from synthetic materials that are on sale to consumers in France.
On August 20, France’s consumer watchdog, the DGCCRF, issued Boohoo with a fine of €2.3 million. It accused Boohoo of misleading consumers over discounts it was offering on some products.
DGCCRF also said its analysis of Boohoo’s offering to consumers in France included product descriptions that misuse the term ‘leather’. It is against the law in France to apply words for leather to any material that does not derive from animal hides and skins.
In response, Boohoo accepted the findings and the fine. It told its local newspaper, the Manchester Evening News, that these were “historic issues” relating to a period from October 2023 to February 2024. It pointed out that the business was under different management at that time and that the practices DGCCRF objected to were “now resolved”.
The company said it had co-operated fully and would continue to review how it prices and labels its products.
However, on the morning of August 24, Boohoo’s French website was offering almost 250 different products that it described as being made from ‘synthetic leather’. Specifically, it used a made-up term, ‘
Synthétiquecuir’ to describe these products. They are typically made from polyester, polyurethane and other synthetic fibres.
The
law in France is admirably clear. The use of the term ‘leather’ (‘cuir’ in French) is allowed only for material obtained from animal skin or hide. The use of the term to describe any other material is prohibited.
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