Persil’s ‘kinder to our planet’ advert is deemed misleading
A TELEVISION advert for Persil washing liquid has been banned over “misleading” claims the product is “kinder to our planet”.
The commercial, seen in March, showed beaches strewn with litter and then a Persil bottle followed by the text “made with 50 per cent recycled plastic”, “removes stains at 30C” and “60 minutes quick wash”.
A voiceover said, “Tough on stains. Kinder to our planet. Dirt is good”, while the advert showed children in sunlit outdoor scenes running through white sheets hanging to dry and then a field with trees.
A viewer said that claims Persil washing liquid is “kinder to our planet” are misleading and unsubstantiated.
Unilever, trading as Persil, said the advert demonstrates how its liquid detergents are “kinder” by saving energy through cleaning at lower temperatures and in quick washes as well as using 50 per cent recycled plastic.
However, upholding the complaint, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said claims such as “greener” or “friendlier” can only be justified if the advertised product gives an environmental benefit over other products.
It said: “Although we acknowledged that Persil were undertaking actions to reduce the environmental impact of their products, we had not seen evidence or analysis to demonstrate the overall environmental impact of the featured liquid detergents over their full-life cycles, compared with Persil’s own previous products or other products, in support of the claim ‘kinder to our planet’.
“We concluded that the basis of the claim ‘kinder to our planet’ had not been made clear.
“Additionally, in the absence of evidence demonstrating that the full-life cycle of the product had a lesser environmental impact compared to a previous formulation, we concluded the ad was likely to mislead.”
The ASA said the advert must not appear again in its current form.
A Unilever spokesman said: “We are disappointed with the ASA adjudication [as] this advertisement was intended to [show] how Persil removes tough stains in quick and cold washes as well as how all Persil liquid detergent bottles now contain 50 per cent recycled [plastic].”