Three major fashion brands have had UK ads pulled after they were found to be misleading consumers about products described as “recycled”.
Calvin Klein, Adidas and Uniqlo each ran paid Google ads promoting items described as “recycled” but had their ads banned after investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), according to The Guardian.
Adidas told the watchdog it did not have a dedicated recycled running shoe range, though some products across its collections may contain recycled content, and pointed to internal documentation as evidence.
Calvin Klein argued that its range included “environmentally preferred materials” across various types, recycled, organic and others, and that consumers would not reasonably expect the claims to apply to every product in the line.
Uniqlo maintained that shoppers would understand its products were made from recycled materials to a significant degree, and cited an international certification scheme in support.
The ASA rejected all three defences, ruling that without clearer qualification, the word “recycled” would lead consumers to assume products were made entirely from recycled content.
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