Charlie Bigham under fire for ‘greenwashing'
Consumer group, Which? found that three in five products advertised as environmentally friendly fell short of requirements set out by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Brands flagged by the investigation included posh ready meal retailer Charlie Bigham, and Italian vegan food company Mr Organic.
Lasagne meals made by Charlie Bigham advertised on Ocado boast that they use 30pc less cardboard. However, Which? found no meaningful comparison to support the claim.
Which? similarly accused Mr Organic of providing no proof of its claim that its canned chickpeas had 'zero air miles'.
Mr Organic said it was in the process of removing the claim from its packaging as part of a wider rebrand, but that rolling out new labelling had 'taken time due to not wanting to throw away any old packaging for environmental reasons'.
The advertising watchdog requires brands to be 'clear and unambiguous' when making eco-friendly claims, and that any comparisons made must be fair and meaningful.
However, Which? claimed 86pc of products reviewed failed to meet at least one of the CMA's green principles.
This was largely driven by brands boasting that their products were 'eco', 'sustainable' or 'environmentally friendly' in product descriptions, Which? said.
Consumer law expert, Lisa Webb, of Which?, said ' shoppers were being let down by vague or unsubstantiated claims'.
She added: 'Misleading green claims don't just waste people's money – they also erode trust and give an unfair advantage to businesses that cut corners.
'We want to see stricter enforcement so brands can't get away with having vague claims about sustainability on products, and eco-conscious shoppers can be confident in what they're buying.'
Argos was singled out by the investigation over its Hey Duggee bean bag, which is advertised as 'environmentally friendly' without providing evidence for the claim.
Which? also accused the retailer of misleading shoppers with its Chad Valley wooden puzzle set, which is advertised as 'kinder to the environment' without being clear what environmental aspects were being compared.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is billed by Argos as using 'more recycled materials', but Which? said the description failed to clarify whether this was in relation to previous iPhones or other smartphones on the market.
An Argos spokesman said: 'We take our role as a responsible retailer very seriously and it's important to us that customers are able to make informed choices when they shop with us.
'We offer thousands of products, from hundreds of suppliers and are working to review all product descriptions.'
The CMA requires that brands consider 'the full lifecycle of the product or service'; however, Which? said its investigation found that clothes retailers downplayed the environmental impact of using polyester – even if the material was recycled.
The report gave the example of a pair of Adidas leggings advertised as being made of '85pc polyester', without making it clear to shoppers that even recycled polyester is not biodegradable.
An Adidas spokesman said the 85pc composition was factually correct, and that recycled polyester contained lower carbon and could help to reduce emissions.
Which? added: 'The description does not mention other significant issues that may be relevant to the product's lifecycle, such as the release of microplastics from recycled polyester, and that the source of recycled polyester is often from recycled plastic bottles, disrupting the bottle-to-bottle recycling loop.'
A Charlie Bigham spokesman said the 30pc reduction in materials came from removing an additional cardboard flap.
The company added: 'We believe great food deserves thoughtful packaging. That's why, 18 years ago, we introduced wooden trays, sourced from PEFC-certified poplar and designed to be oven-friendly, compostable, and reusable.
'Since then, we've continued to improve, from switching to energy-saving red clay ceramic pots to using plastic film made with 30pc recycled content and cutting plastic waste by 24 tonnes a year.'
A spokesman for Ocado said: 'We work closely with our suppliers to ensure all the information they provide for our website is accurate. We also have a training programme and toolkits for our colleagues to make sure we're compliant and up to date with the evolving regulatory landscape.'
An Adidas spokesman said: 'The example mentioned is on a third party website that is not operated by Adidas and the wording is not in line with our current marketing communication.
'However, it is factually correct and offers full information about the composition of the product material with 85pc recycled polyester and 15pc elastane.
'Recycled polyester has an environmental benefit since it is not made from virgin material, but from recycled plastic waste. Recycled polyester has a lower carbon footprint than virgin polyester and helps to reduce emissions.'
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