The Legal Framework of Greenwashing and Its Effectiveness in the European Union: An Analysis Using the Example of the Fashion Industry

The topic of the bachelor's thesis is consumer protection against greenwashing within the legal environment of the European Union, with a focus on the fashion industry. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the development of the legislation from 2005 to 2025 and to assess to what extent Czech consumers are able to recognize greenwashing. The thesis uses a descriptive method to analyze the legislative development and the Proposal for the Green Claims Directive. The practical part of the thesis uses the method of case study and questionnaire survey. The results of the case study show that the Proposal for the Green Claims Directive is a more effective consumer protection instrument than the existing legislation. The questionnaire survey confirms that a higher level of knowledge of the concept of greenwashing improves consumers’ ability to recognize its practices. However, despite this positive effect, some knowledge gaps remain, in particular in distinguishing between genuine and false certification labels. Thus, the results of both parts of the research highlight the need for legislative changes and simultaneously provide important suggestions for practice, especially for companies that should actively seek transparency and authenticity in their marketing communication to prevent greenwashing.