Amazon admits selling fake ‘net zero’ plugs to UK shoppers

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on The Telegraph or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Amazon is still selling "energy saving" plugs on its UK site despite telling MPs it had removed them, The Telegraph found
• Eight of such devices were tested, with no evidence supporting their claims, concluding all were illegal to sell in the UK and posed a serious safety risk
• Amazon's public policy director Monica Ariño wrote to the business and trade select committee attributing the original listings to a technical issue in its automated classification system

🔭 The context: The products, typically under £10, claim to cut electricity bills by up to 30% by stabilising voltage and balancing current
• More than half had pins too small, not straight, or liable to break off in the socket; one device on Amazon had no fuse or other protection
• They were also sold via AliExpress, eBay, Shein, Temu and TikTok Shop
• Liberal Democrat MP Joshua Reynolds raised the issue at a June committee hearing, where Amazon pledged an internal investigation

🌍 Why it matters for corporate governance and sustainability: The devices monetise consumer intent to cut bills and emissions, and each sale converts that intent into a fire hazard and a wasted £10 rather than an actual efficiency gain
• Reynolds notes the listings appear as sponsored ads, meaning the platform is paid to promote them
• Which?'s Sue Davies argues marketplaces will not act meaningfully until compelled by law, a self-regulation question that applies directly to environmental claims made on platforms at scale.

⏭️ What's next: Reynolds says he will write to Amazon executives demanding an explanation
• Amazon says the identified products have been removed and audited multiple European marketplaces

💬 One quote: "Which? has reported this unsafe product to Amazon several times over the years, but this is just the latest in a long list of examples why we don't believe Amazon and other online marketplaces will take meaningful action until they are compelled by law" — Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy, Which?

📈 One stat: Claims of up to 30% savings on electricity bills, which Which? testing found unsupported across all eight devices

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps. Thank you for donating today