Britain’s consumer watchdog has announced plans to examine environmental claims made by the consumer-goods group Unilever, which is known for brands that include Cif, Dove, Comfort, and Lynx, among numerous others.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says that the move is part of a wider investigation into ‘greenwashing’, and follows concerns about how Unilever is marketing certain products to customers as ‘environmentally friendly’.

In January this year, the CMA expanded its work on environmental claims to include fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) – items that people use on a daily basis and are repurchased regularly.

The CMA says that its initial review uncovered “a range of concerning practices”, which led it to launch a formal investigation into Unilever.

‘Vague and broad’ language

The CMA’s concerns include whether:

• Certain statements and language used by Unilever appear vague and broad, and may mislead shoppers regarding the environmental impact of those products,
• Claims about some ingredients are presented in a way that may exaggerate how ‘natural’ the product is, and so may create an inaccurate or misleading impression,
• Claims focusing on a single aspect of a product may suggest it is environmentally friendly as a whole,
• Certain green claims – particularly in relation to recyclability – may be unclear, as they fail to specify whether they relate to all or part of a product, or packaging,
• Unilever’s use of colours and imagery – such as green leaves – may create the overall impression that some products are more environmentally friendly than they actually are.

CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said that the watchdog was worried that many people were being misled by so-called ‘green’ products that were not what they seemed.

“So far, the evidence we’ve seen has raised concerns about how Unilever presents certain products as environmentally friendly. We’ll be drilling down into these claims to see if they measure up,” she stated.