The Consumer’s Right of Withdrawal at the Sustainability Crossroads : An ‘Ecological Analysis’ of European Consumer Law

Abstract

The contribution focuses on the consumer’s right to withdraw from online contracts in the fast-fashion industry from the perspective of an ecological analysis of European consumer law, revealing a dark side of the environmental impact of returns of goods resulting from the exercise of the withdrawal. The essay investigates current EU ‘unilaterally’ mandatory rules concerning consumer withdrawal and the correlative contractual terms of the major fashion platforms, tackling the issue of the consumer’s unfair abuse of this right and the unsustainable environmental collateral effects. In conclusion, it suggests feasible revision proposals of the European legal framework concerning the consumer’s right of withdrawal from online contracts, under the logic of establishing a regulatory model of sustainable consumption.