ASA upholds complaints relating to ads for sustainable carpets

On 19 February 2025, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) published its ruling following an investigation into a complaint made relating to environmental claims made by Floor Design Ltd on their website for wool carpets. The complaint was upheld.

The complaint related to the claims “sustainable alternative to synthetic carpets” and “eco-friendly”, which the ASA found to be misleading as they were not substantiated with adequate evidence considering the full life cycle of the carpets, including the plastic backing.

A further claim stating “wool carpets also biodegrade at the end of their lives” was raised by the complainant as being misleading. In its ruling, the ASA did find the claim to be misleading as it did not clarify that only the wool pile, not the plastic backing, was biodegradable. Additionally, the ad lacked information for consumers on proper disposal methods for the carpet to ensure such biodegradation. 

The ASA found that the advertiser had not adequately substantiated the environmental claims because the claim was about Floor Design’s own products but the life-cycle analysis produced to substantiate this claim related to generic examples of wool and nylon carpets in the US.  To make the claim in relation to their own products, Floor Design would need life-cycle analysis comparing their specific products to alternatives. Additionally, the ad failed to provide the necessary product disposal information to ensure the product did indeed biodegrade, so the claims were likely to mislead consumers in this way as well. 

Commentary

This ruling comes as just one of a stream of rulings made by the ASA in its wider effort to tackle misleading environmental claims and prevent greenwashing. The ASA consistently requires that advertisers must provide robust evidence for any environmental benefits they claim, considering the entire lifecycle of the product, from production to disposal.  Where the claim is about the advertiser’s own product the evidence must relate to that product.

Furthermore, the ASA has been very concerned with environmental disposal claims such as “biodegradable” and “recyclable” and this ruling serves as another example of how important it is to disclose the specifics of how consumers can ensure a product is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way at the end of its life.

In alignment with the Green Claims Code, developed by the Competition and Markets Authority, the ASA’s guidelines ensure that businesses make truthful and clear environmental claims. The Green Claims Code sets out clear principles and guidance for businesses to follow, supporting the ASA’s overarching aim to protect consumers and promote responsible advertising practices. 

By complying with the standards, advertisers can build greater trust with consumers and legitimately contribute to greater sustainability within their own industries and sectors. 

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