The ads watchdog has censured OceanSaver for making unsubstantiated environmental claims, following a complaint from homecare rival Ecover.
The Advertising Standards Authority investigated four matters raised by Ecover and its parent company, People Against Dirty Holdings.
They concerned web and TV ads for OceanSaver’s laundry pods, dishwasher capsules and spray refills – specifically the claims “plastic free”, “zero microplastics”, “fully biodegrade”, “so you don’t harm the sea” and “over two million pieces of plastic and 11,000 litres of harmful chemicals saved from our ocean so far”.
OceanSaver, which uses dissolvable film that contains the polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), stressed polymer was different from plastic. PVOH was exempt from European microplastics restrictions due to its water solubility and not producing solid microparticles, the brand added. Since PVOH did not produce microplastics, it did not create plastic waste.
OceanSaver also told the ASA it would remove the term “fully” from future “biodegradable” claims, and that its laundry capsules did not require a ‘harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects’ warning.
With regard to its “over two million pieces of plastic…” claim, the brand had sold more than two million units, it stressed. Each sale resulted in one less equivalent non-biodegradable product being purchased from a competitor. OceanSaver shifted 775,634 units in the 12 months leading to the TV ad airing in April 2024 – equating to 4,178,212 pieces of plastic saved by not buying plastic alternatives.
However, OceanSaver had not provided sufficient evidence to prove the advertised product did not contain plastic that did not degrade into microplastics and would not harm marine life, the ASA said. The claims “zero microplastics”, “plastic-free” and “so you don’t harm the sea” had not been substantiated.
“Biodegradable film”, “fully biodegrade” and “over two million pieces of plastic…” had also not been adequately substantiated and were likely to mislead, the watchdog added.
It ruled that the two ads must not appear again in the form complained of, and OceanSaver should ensure it “held suitably robust substantiation for environmental claims, related to the full lifecycle of a product where relevant”.
In response to the ASA’s decision, OceanSaver “could have provided more detailed explanations in the advert about the environmental impact of plastics and harmful chemicals – and what our products do to address them,” a spokesman told The Grocer.
“In our effort to make sustainable choices simple, we’ve sometimes avoided using technical names or regulatory references. However, we’ll aim to be more precise.”
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