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Mooncup Files Unfair Trading and Greenwashing Complaint against Here We Flo
&SISTERS, the company behind sustainable period care brand Mooncup, has filed a formal complaint against Here We Flo (HWF) for allegedly misleading UK consumers through greenwashing and unfair commercial practices.
An official complaint letter was sent to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on May 19th 2025, informing them about the following:
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HWF's practices consist of the advertising and labelling of menstrual pads and liners sold to consumers in the United Kingdom as consisting of "natural", "biodegradable" and "plastic-free" materials (among similar claims), in circumstances where this is objectively false.
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HWF falsely claims its bamboo viscose is "100% Organic Bamboo" and certified by Oeko-Tex, despite lacking certification and using a material ineligible for organic status.
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Laboratory testing has revealed that the products’ top sheet and core (which comprise approximately 75% of a pad's weight) contain synthetic, non-biodegradable plastics and bamboo viscose, a semi-synthetic material (polyethylene) derived through intensive chemical processing of raw bamboo.
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This level of greenwashing is unlawful and deeply damaging to consumers' trust in the integrity of the sustainable period care market.
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It is ethically concerning to mislead people who menstruate about the substances that come into prolonged contact with their bodies.
Despite this, HWF has marketed these products on their website, retail listings, in advertising and on packaging as “natural,” “biodegradable,” “plastic-free,” and “organic certified” — claims &SISTERS asserts are false and have been used to gain unfair market dominance in the sustainable period care category.
The complaint was first filed with Here We Flo in April to give them the opportunity to respond and amend the marketing claims in question. At that time, no substantive response was received, prompting &SISTERS to escalate the issue to the CMA and the ASA, and to notify certification bodies B-Corp and OEKO-TEX. Since then, Here We Flo has responded and admitted to removing a number of the challenged claims from its marketing materials — further underscoring the validity of the concerns raised.
Since the complaint was first filed, HWF has quietly edited or removed several key environmental claims from its website and online presence. These include:
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The entire ‘Sustainability’ section of the website being removed.
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Mentions of OEKO-TEX certified organic bamboo being removed from most of the relevant product descriptions (pads and liners), the About Page, and other key copy across the website.
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Multiple blog articles referencing their products as OEKO-TEX certified, plastic-free, and biodegradable being deleted.
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The ‘cruelty-free’ logo being removed from the relevant product pages (pads and liners).
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Removal of their performance ads focused on the pads and liners.
Additionally, this month, they introduced altered packaging that removes “biodegradable”, “Oeko-Tex certified”, “plastic-free”, and “no synthetic fibres” claims.
These significant edits raise further questions about the accuracy of their previous claims and suggest a direct response to the allegations in the complaint. At the same time, the physical product remains unaltered on supermarket shelves across the nation, which signals that Here We Flo is misleading consumers about their product claims.
“Consumers are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on sustainability claims. As a business built on transparency and scientific integrity, we believe it’s vital that consumers can trust those claims made by brands. Our independent testing revealed clear gaps between Here We Flo’s claims and the materials used. Accuracy isn't optional when a brand appeals to conscious consumers; it’s foundational. We urge Here We Flo to take this opportunity to align their messaging with the facts. The goal isn’t to undermine, but to protect consumer trust and raise the bar for the whole sector.”
- Charlie Cohen, CEO, &SISTERS
&SISTERS encourages Here We Flo to take this opportunity to review and update their marketing and product claims to ensure they accurately reflect the materials used and the sustainability credentials they promote.
