Badetøjsfirma fined for misleading sustainability claims

A Danish swimwear company has been fined 500,000 kroner for misleading consumers about the sustainability of its products.

Copenhagen Cartel, which gained national attention after appearing on the television show Løvens Hule, was found guilty on all 17 counts of deceptive marketing by Copenhagen City Court on Friday.

The company falsely implied that its swimwear and other clothing contained a higher proportion of recycled ocean plastic than was actually the case. The misleading statements were made between January 7, 2021, and November 15, 2023, according to the court.

Labels on products and in-store displays featured claims such as “Saving the ocean one product at a time,” “Made from recycled ocean plastic,” and “Thank you! Sincerely The Ocean.” An Instagram influencer’s marketing post in November 2025 also falsely stated that a sports bra from Copenhagen Cartel was “made from 78 percent plastic retrieved from the world’s oceans.”

In addition to the fine, Copenhagen Cartel must pay court costs.