Specifically, the CMA said Unilever may be “overstating how green certain products are”. Unilever, which owns beauty brands such as Dove, Hougrglass, Lynx and Vaseline, said it was “surprised and disappointed” with the announcement, denying the CMA’s claims.
It said in a statement it was committed to making responsible claims that were “transparent and clear”.But the CMA said the issue comes through the use of “vague and broad” claims, unclear statements about recyclability, and natural-looking images and logos such as green leaves that “may mislead shoppers”.It added some product ingredients were presented on packaging in a way to exaggerate how natural the products seemed, known as “corporate greenwashing”.“More and more people are trying to do their bit to help protect the environment, but we’re worried many are being misled by so-called ‘green’ products that aren’t what they seem,” said CMA boss Sarah Cardwell.”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. If we find they’re greenwashing, we’ll take action to make sure shoppers are protected.”Unilever said: “We will continue to co-operate with the CMA and fully comply with further requests for information”. Greenwashing has become a huge area of concern for both beauty and fashion and last year ASOS, Boohoo and George at Asda were named as being the target of the CMA’s probe into the subject.
