StarchTech, Inc.
720 Florida Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55426
(800) 597-7225 (PACK)
dean@starchtech.com
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NAD RECOMMENDS FP INTERNATIONAL DISCONTINUE
CERTAIN BIODEGRADABLE CLAIMS; FINDS ADVERTISER CAN SUPPORT QUALIFIED 'GREEN' CLAIMS
New York, New York - Dec. 14, 2010 - The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that FP International, the maker of "Biodegradable Super 8 Loosefill" packing material, omit the word "biodegradable" from the product's name and modify or discontinue certain comparative advertising claims. NAD determined that the advertiser could support a carefully qualified "green family" claim.
NAD, the advertising industry's self-regulatory forum, reviewed advertising for the FP product following a challenge by Starchtech, Inc., the maker of loosefill packing material made from starch. The challenged claims appeared on packaging, labeling, print materials and on the Internet.
Claims at issue included biodegradability claims:
- "Biodegradable Super 8 Loosefill Environmentally Friendly Packaging"
- Super 8 Loosefill Packaging "will decompose completely within 9 to 60 months in the presence of microorganisms, whether it is sent to a landfill or ends up as litter in the soil."
- "Made from 100% recycled polystyrene that is biodegradable."
- "These eco friendly packaging products will biodegrade in aerobic (with air) and anaerobic (without air) conditions."
NAD also examined comparative claims and claims related to general environmental benefits, including:
- "Biodegradable Packaging SUPER 8 Loosefill is a better environmental choice than starch loosefill or paper."
- "Starch loosefill uses crops which may increase food prices and decrease food supply"
- "Emits 83% less greenhouse gas emissions than starch in its production"
- "64% lighter than starch loosefill."
- "Green Family Environmentally Friendly Product."
- "Better for the Environment"
- "Truly environmentally friendly packaging"
The advertising at issue involved a broad range of environmental benefit claims for Biodegradable Super 8 Loosefill, packing "peanuts" made from expanded polystyrene plastic, treated with an additive manufactured by a second company, ECM Biofilms.
NAD has recognized that advertising claims related to environmental benefits can influence the purchasing decisions of consumers who are concerned with sustainability and environmental issues. Because consumers cannot typically verify for themselves the truth of environmental claims, advertising self-regulation is playing an increasingly significant role in ensuring that environmental claims are truthful, non-misleading and adequately substantiated.
(Full text of decision available to media, upon request.)
Following its review of the evidence in the record, NAD concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support an unqualified biodegradable claim or the advertiser's more limited claim that Super 8 Loosefill would biodegrade completely in a landfill within 9 to 60 months. NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue the use of the term "Biodegradable" in conjunction with the name of the product in the heading of its advertising materials, and discontinue the claim that the product biodegrades in a landfill within 9 to 60 months.
NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue certain comparative claims including the claim that starch loosefill uses crops which may increase food prices and decrease food supply" and that its own loosefill product "emits 83% less greenhouse gas emissions than starch in its production."
NAD determined that the advertiser provided a reasonable basis for certain qualified environmental benefit claims regarding its product, including the product's recyclability, reusability, comparatively light weight and other factors contributing to more favorable environmental impact or sustainability. As a result, NAD determined that the "Green Family" claim was adequately substantiated, if used in a context that clearly and conspicuously disclosed that the product attributes form the basis for the claim.
FP International, in its advertiser's statement, said the company "will review its advertising in light of the NAD's recommendations and make appropriate changes."
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NAD's inquiry was conducted under NAD/CARU/NARB Procedures for the Voluntary Self-Regulation of National Advertising. Details of the initial inquiry, NAD's decision, and the advertiser's response will be included in the next NAD/CARU Case Report.
About Advertising Industry Self-Regulation: The National Advertising Review Council (NARC) was formed in 1971. NARC establishes the policies and procedures for the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the CBBB's Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU), the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) and the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP).
The NARC Board of Directors is composed of representatives of the American Advertising Federation, Inc. (AAF), American Association of Advertising Agencies, Inc., (AAAA), the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. (ANA), Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB), Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Its purpose is to foster truth and accuracy in national advertising through voluntary self-regulation.
NAD, CARU and ERSP are the investigative arms of the advertising industry's voluntary self-regulation program. Their casework results from competitive challenges from other advertisers, and also from self-monitoring traditional and new media. NARB, the appeals body, is a peer group from which ad-hoc panels are selected to adjudicate NAD/CARU cases that are not resolved at the NAD/CARU level. This unique, self-regulatory system is funded entirely by the business community; CARU is financed by the children's advertising industry, while NAD/NARC/NARB's primary source of funding is derived from membership fees paid to the CBBB. ERSP's funding is derived from membership in the Electronic Retailing Association. For more information about advertising industry self-regulation, please visit www.narcpartners.org.
Contact: Linda Bean
212-705-0129
Protect your product
and your environment.
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