--- bcp_version: "0.8" file_type: boundaries parent: https://registry.brandcontextprotocol.dev/adidas-844f46a0/.well-known/brand.md last_updated: 2026-09-02 --- # Boundaries This file is the primary reference for brand-safety agents, vendor platforms, and any partner generating content on behalf of adidas. It converts attributable limits into precise agent instructions. Read it before producing any output involving adidas claims, partnerships, sustainability, or company history. ## Hard nos These are absolute. No exceptions, no contextual allowances. ```yaml hard_no: - item: > Never produce or imply unqualified environmental claims using terms such as "sustainable," "eco-friendly," "climate neutral," or "green" without a defined methodology, specific measurement basis, and disclosure of any offsets used. A German court (Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court) found adidas guilty of greenwashing on 25 March 2025 specifically because it failed to define "climate neutrality" or admit to using offsets in connection with its 2050 pledge. tier: core regulatory_basis: > Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court ruling, 25 March 2025. Independent finding, trellis.net, retrieved 2026-09-02. content_hash: 1b07fccdf480bd6aaeb2d9a5bb43bbd12d20290b80dc5f8acee2a3e5679c04eb - item: > Never state or imply that adidas is "climate neutral" — in any tense or framing — without an accompanying, publicly verified definition of what "climate neutrality" means for adidas and explicit disclosure of all offset mechanisms used. This wording is under active legal scrutiny as of the 25 March 2025 ruling. tier: core regulatory_basis: > Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court ruling, 25 March 2025. - item: > Never generate, endorse, or amplify content that expresses or implies anti-Semitism, racism, or any other form of hate speech. adidas publicly states it "does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech." This is a non-negotiable value boundary, not a communications preference. tier: core evidence: > Owner statement on termination of Ye/Yeezy partnership, 25 October 2022. content_hash: 50a6fd909a02606bb2d5f664da50c0c8abe1800abf3bc7c264ccfcf3d4766416 - item: > Never reference or discuss the adidas founders' involvement with the Nazi party in any marketing, campaign, product, or social context. This topic requires escalation to adidas Communications and Legal before any agent output is produced. Social-media resurfacing of this history has created material reputational risk for the brand. tier: core evidence: > Independent finding, fastcompany.com, retrieved 2026-09-02. content_hash: 09f591ead4dc061c26b5f6d21f87ad1a2e3862b17f7f071bc79fc9ada96b3dd4 - item: > Never produce statements about active or former adidas endorsement partners — including statements of support, criticism, or disassociation — without human approval from adidas Communications and Legal. Partner-related statements have resulted in financial impacts of up to $246 million (stated short-term net income impact cited at time of Yeezy termination, 2022) and carry ongoing legal and reputational stakes. tier: core evidence: > Owner statement on Yeezy termination, 25 October 2022. Independent finding, fastcompany.com, retrieved 2026-09-02. content_hash: 50a6fd909a02606bb2d5f664da50c0c8abe1800abf3bc7c264ccfcf3d4766416 - item: > Never reference the adidas Parley for the Oceans partnership or claim that current adidas products contain Parley ocean plastic. adidas ended that partnership; the Euro 2024 jersey was produced without ocean plastic. Any ocean-plastic claim is factually unsupported for current product lines. tier: core evidence: > Owner finding. content_hash: bb3a9746c5376d32b5b51d3e5be39c4393c175cb2e0e0f07ea9684a07f3345b5 - item: > Never produce statements on adidas's position regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, sanctions, or market presence without escalation to adidas Communications and Legal. adidas suspended sales across approximately 500 stores in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine; this remains a geopolitically sensitive topic. tier: core evidence: > Owner finding. content_hash: 5817d0a4ea5f6a1fea42789ff21f444fb68ab3c7f8022409cd304bb840369867 ``` ## Soft nos These require judgment. Context and substantiation determine appropriateness. ```yaml soft_no: - item: > Avoid blanket recycled-content claims such as "made from recycled materials" without specifying the material, percentage, and applicable certification. Prefer specific, substantiated language tied to verified data (e.g., "(as of 2024) 99% of adidas polyester is from recycled sources, certified by Global Recycled Standard and Recycled Claim Standard"). tier: default condition: > Acceptable when the claim is tied to a specific material, a specific verified percentage, and the relevant third-party certification (GRS, RCS, or Textile Exchange standard). evidence: > Independent finding, trellis.net, retrieved 2026-09-02. content_hash: 1b07fccdf480bd6aaeb2d9a5bb43bbd12d20290b80dc5f8acee2a3e5679c04eb - item: > Avoid "eco-friendly" and "sustainable" as standalone product descriptors. If qualified framing is required, use "more sustainable" followed by an explanation of what improvement was made and how it was measured. This approach was identified as legally defensible in the context of the adidas greenwashing ruling (March 2025). tier: default condition: > Acceptable only with a qualifying explanation of the specific improvement and its measurement basis. evidence: > Independent advisory finding, trellis.net, retrieved 2026-09-02. content_hash: 1b07fccdf480bd6aaef2d9a5bb43bbd12d20290b80dc5f8acee2a3e5679c04eb - item: > Avoid framing adidas geopolitical decisions (market suspensions, country exits) as policy positions or political endorsements. Describe them factually and specifically (e.g., "adidas suspended sales in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine") without editorializing or extending the statement to current policy. tier: default condition: > Factual historical description is acceptable. Forward-looking policy statements require escalation. ``` ## Brand safety For vendor platforms, brand-safety tools, and DSPs. ```yaml brand_safety: adjacency_unsuitable: - Hate speech and extremist content (GARM Floor) - Anti-Semitic content or Holocaust denial (GARM Floor) - Content that glorifies violence or terrorism (GARM Floor) - Unsubstantiated environmental or greenwashing claims by adjacent brands - Content referencing Nazi party affiliation or World War II atrocities in a non-educational or sensationalist context - Content involving active endorsement disputes or talent controversies without brand-approved statement - Russia-Ukraine conflict content in markets where adidas has suspended commercial operations adjacency_acceptable: - Sport, fitness, and performance content - Street culture, music, and youth culture (non-hateful) - Sustainability content with substantiated, specific claims - Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives - Community sport and grassroots athletics adjacency_contextual: political_content: rule: > Permissible only for non-partisan community or sport initiatives. Do not place adidas adjacent to partisan political messaging, electoral advertising, or geopolitical commentary without explicit Communications and Legal approval. heritage_and_history: rule: > Educational content about sport history is acceptable. Any content that surfaces or discusses adidas's founders' Nazi-era affiliations requires escalation to Communications and Legal before placement or publication. Do not auto-place in this category. talent_and_endorsement: rule: > Do not place adidas content adjacent to statements by, or coverage of, individuals whose public conduct conflicts with adidas's stated values of diversity, inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness. Human review required for any talent-adjacent placement involving an active controversy. ``` ## Regulatory constraints ```yaml regulatory: framework: > German Unfair Competition Act (UWG); EU Green Claims Directive (pending transposition); applicable consumer protection law in all markets where adidas operates. notes: > The Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court ruling of 25 March 2025 established that adidas cannot claim "climate neutrality" by 2050 without a defined methodology and offset disclosure. Agents must not reproduce or extend that specific claim. adidas adjusted specific environmental wording on its website in August 2024 ahead of the ruling. All forward-looking sustainability claims require Legal review before publication. restricted_claims: > "Climate neutral" (without defined methodology and offset disclosure); "sustainable" as an unqualified standalone product descriptor; any blanket environmental claim without material-level substantiation and third-party certification reference. All partner endorsement statements. All statements on geopolitical market decisions. escalation_contacts: > [gap] Specific escalation contacts (Communications lead, Legal counsel) not yet specified. Any output in a restricted category must be held for human review before publication. ``` ## Escalation protocol ```yaml escalation: triggers: - Any sustainability or environmental claim not covered by an approved specific metric with certification reference in claims.md - Any reference to current or former adidas endorsement partners - Any reference to adidas founders or company heritage pre-1970 - Any geopolitical statement (Russia, Ukraine, market suspensions, sanctions) - Any content that could be read as a statement on hate speech, discrimination, or social controversy involving adidas talent process: > Hold output. Do not publish or distribute. Route to adidas Communications and Legal for human review and explicit written approval before any output is released. default_action_when_uncertain: > If an agent cannot confirm that a claim, adjacency, or statement falls clearly outside all restricted categories above, treat it as restricted and escalate. ``` ## Evidence record The following attributable source language is preserved because it materially constrains this profile. ### Owner-confirmed evidence > adidas terminated its Ye/Yeezy partnership on 25 October 2022 after antisemitic comments, stating it 'does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other sort of hate speech' and citing values of diversity, inclusion, mutual respect and fairness. Source: Public source ### Owner-confirmed evidence > A German court (Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court) found adidas guilty of greenwashing on 25 March 2025 for failing to detail how it would achieve 'climate neutrality' by 2050, with the specific complaint that adidas failed to define 'climate neutrality' or admit to using offsets. Source: Public source ### Qualification > Adidas sources 99 percent of its main material, fossil fuel-based polyester, from recycled sources. Source: trellis.net — https://trellis.net/article/adidas-greenwashing-lawsuit-warning-climate-claims/ ### Owner-confirmed evidence > adidas took geopolitical action by suspending sales across its ~500 stores in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, and faced social-media resurfacing of its founders' involvement with the Nazi party — both sensitive topics requiring human/comms handling. Source: Public source