The Competition and Markets Authority is investigating sustainability claims made by Unilever about household essential products.
The new review comes as part of a wider formal investigation into greenwashing and follows concerns as to how Unilever is marketing products, in a bid to ensure shoppers aren’t being misled.
Products under scrutiny include supermarket favourites such as food and drink, cleaning products, toiletries, and personal care, with specific brands mentioned including Cif, Dove, Comfort, and Lynx.
Concerns include accusations of “vague and broad” language regarding the environmental impact of those products.
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Other concerns include exaggeration of how “natural” the ingredients in a product are, focusing on a single aspect of a product to suggest its “environmentally friendly”, and certain green claims, including misleading use of packaging, colour and imagery.
It follows the regulatory body expanding its work in January to include FMCG products after uncovering a “range of concerning practices”. Last year, shoppers paid out more than £140bn on FMCG products.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “Essentials like detergent, kitchen spray, and toiletries are the kinds of items you put in your supermarket basket every time you shop. 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.
“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.”
