Many people are attracted to products that are environmentally-friendly, and that may have motivated P&G to come out with Tide Purclean — the first plant-based laundry detergent.
Seventh Generation, the maker of various natural products including its own brand of “powered by plants” detergent, brought a challenge against P&G’s claims to the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. It argued that the combination of the unmodified plant-based claim, leaf design, and some language on the back of the bottle might give consumers the false impression that the product was 100% plant-based. It also complained this commercial did not clearly enough disclose that the product is only 75% plant-based.
NAD in its decision agreed, recommending that when the term “plant-based†is used the advertiser should clearly and conspicuously disclose the limitations of the claim, namely, that the product is “75% plant-based†and avoid the implication that the product is 100% plant-based when in fact some ingredients are petroleum-based.
This is a newer version of the bottle label introduced before NAD’s decision was handed down.
*MOUSE PRINT:
While improved over the old label, most shoppers will miss the fact that the product is only 75% plant-based. By comparison, the plant-based variety of Seventh Generation is 97% plant-based. But according to Consumer Reports, both Tide Purclean and a non-plant-based version of Seventh Generation are tied with lousy scores — 54 out of 100.
