BBlabloom closes, what does it mean for conscious kids…

Blabloom closes its doors. And that stings.

Have you ever walked into a children’s shop and thought: This just feels right? Honest products, clear communication, and staff who genuinely know what they’re selling. Blabloom in Belgium was exactly that kind of shop.

Until the doors closed for good.

And no, it wasn’t bad business. It wasn’t a lack of customers. It was something else entirely. Something that’s quietly crushing honest entrepreneurs across Belgium today: the enormous administrative burden that comes with communicating transparently about your products and trying to comply with every legislative requirement thrown your way, whether reasonable or frankly ridiculous. There are simply too many rules for independent business owners to see the wood for the trees.

Almost twenty inspections in fewer than five years

Founders Kim Smeets and Jan Raedschelders built Blabloom on a foundation of transparency. Conscious choices, honest communication, engaged customers. But as the shop grew, so did the scrutiny.

“In fewer than five years, we were inspected almost twenty times. We had to adjust our terminology, rewrite our communications and change our processes. Even words like ‘sustainable’ were no longer allowed without extensive substantiation.” Kim Smeets and Jan Raedschelders, founders of Blabloom

The FOD Economy (Belgium’s federal public service overseeing fair trading practices and consumer protection) repeatedly inspected Blabloom on its language use and communications. The consequences were concrete and far-reaching:

Products could no longer be offered with eco-vouchers.
Test programmes with parent testers — a unique and valuable initiative — had to stop.
All communications had to be completely rewritten.
Terms like ‘sustainable’, ‘ecological’ and ‘healthy’ were no longer permitted without extensive product-by-product evidence.

Transparency was in their DNA. But the impact was simply too heavy to carry.

<i>"In fewer than five years, we were inspected almost twenty times. We had to adjust our terminology, rewrite our communications and change our processes. Even words like 'sustainable' were no longer allowed without extensive substantiation."</i> Kim Smeets and Jan Raedschelders, founders Blabloom

Honest entrepreneurs, hit the hardest?

Niki, founder and CEO of COSH!, responds with shock:

“As the founder of COSH!, I know how heavily inspections around environmental impact claims can weigh. We were also inspected multiple times in 2023 – 2024 by the FOD Economy for our language use and communication. That brought stress, costs and mountains of extra work. But what’s happening here doesn’t feel right. Entrepreneurs who do their absolute best to communicate transparently are the ones being hit hardest.”

That’s the crux of it. Regulation around environmental claims — particularly the EU Green Claims Directive currently being rolled out — has an important purpose: tackling misleading advertising, combating greenwashing, and protecting consumers. We fully support that goal.

But now that less is being communicated about conscious choices, and companies are greenhushing — unable, unwilling or afraid to talk about the responsible decisions they make — consumers are becoming less alert too. While what we actually need is for everyone to communicate more, not less, if we’re going to meet the EU Green Deal targets for 2050.

The way this regulation is being applied today isn’t catching the big players making vague promises. It’s hitting the small, passionate entrepreneurs who are bold and loud about their choices in order to reach the right audience.

More information on Belgian guidelines for environmental claims: https://economie.fgov.be/nl/themas/verkoop-en-diensten/milieuclaims

What are ‘green claims’ and why are they so complex?

A green claim — or environmental claim — is any statement about a product or service that refers to its impact on the environment. Think: “made from organic cotton”, “ecologically packaged” or simply the word “sustainable”.

The EU Green Claims Directive (proposed in 2023, currently in the legislative process) requires that such claims be demonstrable, verifiable and non-misleading. A sensible and necessary initiative — but in practice, the burden on small businesses is enormous.

More on the EU Green Claims Directiv here.

Selling second-hand children’s clothing? That’s not rule-free either.

It might catch you off guard, but even the online sale of second-hand children’s clothing comes with obligations. As a seller, you’re required to provide the material composition of a product even when selling a second-hand item where the label has faded or been cut out.

For small shops and individual sellers contributing to a more circular way of buying children’s clothing, this is a real stumbling block. The intention is good. But the execution is complex and adds an extra workload to selling second-hand products that already carry a small margin.

Transparency deserves support. Misleading claims don’t.

We’re crystal clear: misleading claims must go. Greenwashing harms consumers and the market alike. But the current Belgian authorities’ approach isn’t targeting the right audience.

Small shops that communicate consciously, that know their products, that bring their customers along in their story, they deserve support, not punishment.

Want to know how to navigate environmental claims as a shop or consumer? Sign up for the COSH! newsletter or read our blog at www.cosh.eco.

What can you do?

Blabloom is gone. But there are still shops out there carrying that same intention — shops that communicate with care, that answer questions, that know their products. Those shops need you.

Visit local. Walk in. Ask questions.
Share this story. Show that honest communication matters.
Discover conscious children’s shops in Belgium. On COSH! you’ll find the best independent pioneers working every day for a more responsible offer. Discover them near you now at www.cosh.eco.

Honest communication deserves support. Every day, you vote with your wallet for the world you want to live in. What are you voting for?