The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ended its investigation into Unilever’s ‘misleading green claims’ after the food and drink manufacturer made changes to its products.

The CMA initially launched the review in December 2023, following questions about whether Unilever had broken the consumer protection law through incorrect sustainability claims made about household essential products.

Concerns included accusations of “vague and broad” language in reference to the environmental impact of those products, exaggeration of how “natural” the ingredients in a product are, and the literal use of green and other misleading colours and imagery in packaging.

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Products under scrutiny extended across a range of popular supermarket cleaning products, toiletries, and personal care, such as Cif, Dove, Comfort, and Lynx.

However the CMA has now announced its decision to close the investigation following the FMCG conglomerate making “positive changes to the claims”, however it did not specify what these changes were.

The news follows the competition watchdog’s wider formal investigation into greenwashing through which it developed its own Green Claims Code.

Referring to the initiative, the CMA added: “In making this decision, a range of factors have been taken into account, including changes Unilever has made to claims on some of its products and the wider impact of our programme of work on tackling misleading green claims.

“The CMA’s Green Claims Code and successful enforcement action to date has helped businesses understand how they can promote their green credentials whilst staying on the right side of the law.”

A spokesperson for Unilever said: “We are pleased that the CMA has confirmed they are closing their investigation. We have complied with all requests for information throughout this process. We have always been committed to making responsible claims about the benefits of our products on our packs and to these being transparent and clear, and we have robust processes in place to make sure any claims can be substantiated.”