The Competition and Markets Authority has closed its investigation into Unilever’s sustainability claims.
Last December, the watchdog set out to scrutinise so-called green claims made by Unilever about certain household essential items, such as a number of cleaning products and toiletries.
The CMA said at the time it was “concerned that Unilever may be overstating how green certain products are through the use of vague and broad claims, unclear statements around recyclability, and ‘natural’ looking images and logos”.
But not even a year later, it decided to close the probe after taking into account a “range of factors”, it said, “including changes Unilever has made to claims on some of its products and the wider impact of our programme of work on tackling misleading green claims”.
The investigation into the Dove maker was part of a wider crackdown, started a couple of years ago, by the consumer protection watchdog on greenwashing.
Initially focusing on some of the fashion giants, including George at Asda and Boohoo, the CMA quickly turned its lens to the fmcg sector – and Unilever specifically.
The competition body said its initial review had “uncovered a range of concerning practices”, including Unilever using “vague and broad” language that “may mislead shoppers regarding the environmental impact of those products”, as well as “exaggerated” claims of “natural ingredients” use and unclear recyclability statements.
Read more: How to safely follow the Green Claims Code
CMA CEO Sarah Cardell said at the time the watchdog would be “drilling down into these claims to see if they measure up – if we find they’re greenwashing, we’ll take action to make sure shoppers are protected”.
However, the CMA has now stated that good adherence levels to its Green Claims Code – a framework to help businesses who use environmental statements as part of their packaging and advertising to “promote their green credentials whilst staying on the right side of the law” – as well as “positive changes” made to the claims used in fmcg, contributed to the decision to close the Unilever case.
“Given these points, and the ongoing impact of the CMA’s work, the CMA has decided as a matter of administrative priority to close this investigation,” it said.
“The CMA has not taken a view on Unilever’s compliance with consumer law. Businesses should ensure they comply with the law and read the Green Claims Code.”
Read more: The big food & drink greenwashing crackdown
A Unilever spokesperson said in response to the decision: “We are pleased that the CMA has confirmed they are closing their investigation.
“We have complied with all requests for information throughout this process.
“We have always been committed to making responsible claims about the benefits of our products on our packs and to these being transparent and clear, and we have robust processes in place to make sure any claims can be substantiated.”
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