Top Origin
56%
China · largest single source · EU Customs 2023
Sources: OECD — Mapping Global Trade in Fakes (2025) · EUIPO — €60B impact / 468K jobs · EU Customs Report 2024 — 112M seizures
EU Sector Exposure — Annual Impact of Counterfeiting (€B)
Annual sales losses by sector due to counterfeiting (EU, €B)
Source: EUIPO sector studies 2024, EUIPO pharma study, EUIPO/ITU smartphones. Only sectors with published EUIPO figures shown. EUIPO estimates total EU impact at €60B across 13 sectors.
Clothing and pharmaceuticals together account for over €22B in annual EU losses — but pharma counterfeiting carries the highest human risk, with fake medicines directly threatening patient safety. Toys have the highest counterfeiting share relative to sector turnover (8.7%). Every affected sector has a different enforcement profile — requiring specialised brand protection approaches. Additional sectors (jewellery, handbags, sports goods, pesticides, batteries, tyres) make up the remaining ~€27B of the €60B EUIPO total.
Counterfeit Origin — EU Seizures by Source Country
Share of EU customs seizures by country of origin (% of items seized, 2023)
Source: EU Customs Report 2023 · share of total seizure volume
China and Hong Kong together account for ~65% of all EU seizures — though enforcement experts note this reflects detection patterns as much as origin share. Turkey (~8%) is a growing source for clothing, accessories, and cosmetics. Enforcement intelligence must be continuously updated as smuggling routes shift in response to customs pressure.
The Anti-Counterfeiting Ecosystem — Key Players
Brand Protection Organisations — NGOs & Coalitions
React
React — World's Most Trusted Anti-Counterfeiting Partner
Purpose-driven not-for-profit cooperative founded 1991 (as Stichting Namaak Bestrijding), headquartered in Amsterdam. Operates across 130+ countries with ~250 staff. Works directly with brand owners, customs, and law enforcement to detect, investigate, and stop counterfeit operations.
- 30+ years of anti-counterfeiting expertise
- Active in 130+ countries — truly global operational reach
- Bridges brand owners, customs authorities, and law enforcement
- Operates as a direct enforcement partner across brand owners, customs, and law enforcement
EUIPO
European Union Intellectual Property Office
EU agency responsible for IP rights registration and brand protection policy. Publishes annual counterfeiting impact studies and coordinates with member state enforcement authorities.
- Produces definitive EU sector impact data
- Funds and coordinates IP enforcement training
- Works with customs, police, and national IP offices
- Key regulatory and intelligence partner for NGOs like React
INTERPOL / OLAF
Law Enforcement — Global & EU Coordination
INTERPOL coordinates cross-border anti-counterfeiting enforcement operations. OLAF (EU Anti-Fraud Office) leads EU-level investigations involving counterfeit goods and trade fraud.
- INTERPOL Operation Pangea — annual pharma crackdown across 90+ countries; over 105M units seized and 3,000+ arrests since 2008
- OLAF investigates customs fraud and counterfeit trade flows
- NGOs like React provide brand owner intelligence to joint operations
Brand Owners — Most Exposed Industries
Luxury & Fashion
LVMH, Richemont, Kering — Largest Brand Protection Spenders
Luxury groups invest significantly in anti-counterfeiting — brand protection is a board-level risk management priority. React and similar organisations are their operational partners for detection, investigation, and enforcement across markets.
- Handbags, watches, and accessories are among the most counterfeited categories (EU Customs 2023)
- Close cooperation with customs for border seizures
- Online platform takedown operations are a growing enforcement channel
Pharmaceuticals
Roche, Pfizer, Novartis — Highest Human Risk
Counterfeit medicines are the most dangerous category — fake pharmaceuticals cause direct patient harm. WHO estimates 1 in 10 medicines in low-income countries is substandard or falsified.
- Falsified medicines kill hundreds of thousands annually (WHO)
- INTERPOL Operation Pangea targets online pharma fraud — 90+ countries participating
- EU Falsified Medicines Directive (2011/62/EU) mandates serialisation of prescription medicines since February 2019
- Brand owners work closely with React-type organisations for detection and enforcement
Electronics & FMCG
Apple, Samsung, Unilever — High Volume, Lower Margin Risk
Electronics and fast-moving consumer goods face enormous counterfeit volumes. Chargers, cables, and personal care products dominate seizure statistics — safety risks are significant.
- Counterfeit chargers and cables cause fires and injury — 98% of fakes failed safety tests (Electrical Safety First UK)
- Counterfeit food & beverages seized worth €91M in OPSON 2024 (Europol-Interpol joint operation)
- Cosmetics account for 3% of EU seizure categories (EU Customs 2024)
Case Study — Apple vs. Dutch Wholesaler, April 2026
Fake AirPods Pro sold at Action, Sligro and Albert Heijn — Court of The Hague ruling
Sales halt within
24h
Court-ordered immediate stop on all sales
Stock destroyed within
4 wk
By Apple-chosen recycling firm · at TTP's cost
Non-compliance fine
€10K/day
Maximum €1,000,000 · plus €20,000+ court costs
Dutch wholesaler TTP Concept in Style sold counterfeit AirPods Pro bearing the Apple trademark to Action, Sligro, and via AH Voordeelshop. The Court of The Hague ruled on 21 April 2026 that TTP must notify all trade buyers in writing: "You received fake AirPods Pro. These are not original Apple products. Counterfeit products may pose safety risks." TTP's defence — that its supplier represented the products as genuine — did not affect the trademark infringement finding. The case illustrates how counterfeits reach mainstream retail shelves through multi-tier supply chains where each link may be unaware of the fraud.
Anti-Counterfeiting Organisations — Comparative Overview
Geographic reach: Active countries by organisation
Based on publicly available information from organisational websites and reports · 2026
React's 130+ country footprint is unmatched among specialist anti-counterfeiting NGOs — only INTERPOL and ICC BASCAP approach comparable geographic coverage, but with fundamentally different mandates. React operates as a direct enforcement partner, not a policy or trade body. This operational depth — built over 30+ years since 1991 — is its core differentiator.
Sources: React — Locations (react.org) · INTERPOL · ICC BASCAP · INTA · PSI. Country counts from organisational websites.
How anti-counterfeiting organisations differ — qualitative comparison
Based on publicly available organisational descriptions, mandates, and published reports
React's differentiator is operational depth combined with geographic reach — it operates as a direct enforcement partner, not a policy or trade body. Peer organisations outperform on regulatory lobbying (UNIFAB, INTA) and pharma-specific expertise (PSI).
Sources: Descriptions based on publicly available information from react.org, unifab.com, inta.org, psi-inc.org, a-cg.org. Qualitative comparison — not scored or ranked.
Enforcement Challenge — Complexity by Channel
Strategic Priorities — Anti-Counterfeiting Leadership
Priority 1 · Digital
Shifting enforcement from physical to digital-first operations
E-commerce platforms have become a primary distribution channel for counterfeit goods (OECD 2021). Anti-counterfeiting organisations that build digital intelligence and platform partnerships appear better positioned than those still focused primarily on border seizures and physical market raids.
Priority 2 · Technology
AI and image recognition for large-scale counterfeit detection
Machine learning models can scan millions of e-commerce listings for counterfeit indicators. Organisations that deploy AI-powered monitoring at scale — combined with human investigation capability — are positioned to drive significantly higher takedown volumes.
Priority 3 · Partnerships
Platform accountability under EU General Product Safety Regulation (2023/988)
Effective December 2024, this regulation extends obligations to marketplaces for product safety. Anti-counterfeiting organisations with established platform relationships are now in a position to negotiate systematic enforcement rather than case-by-case takedowns.
Priority 4 · Intelligence
Building cross-sector counterfeit intelligence networks
Brand owners rarely share enforcement intelligence with each other. NGOs like React can create unique value by aggregating intelligence across members — identifying patterns, supply chains, and counterfeit operations that no single brand owner could detect alone.
Priority 5 · Emerging Markets
Expanding anti-counterfeiting capability in high-growth, high-risk markets
Southeast Asia, India, and Sub-Saharan Africa combine high counterfeit production with growing consumer markets. Organisations with local enforcement networks and government relationships in these regions may develop a decisive advantage over the next decade.
Priority 6 · Sustainability
Counterfeiting as an ESG risk — pressure from institutional investors
Brand owners face growing ESG scrutiny over counterfeit supply chains, labour exploitation, and environmental damage linked to fake goods production. Anti-counterfeiting work is increasingly framed as ESG impact — opening new funding and partnership channels for NGOs like React.
Topics covered
About the Author
TrendsOnFire is a AI based market intelligence platform publishing analysis on retail, technology, supply chain, finance, compliance, education, people and transformation trends across Europe.
Created by Olga Bressers, a senior executive with experience in sales & digital operations, ecommerce, omni-channel retail, supply chain, programs management and business transformation.