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ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard mentioned the web sweep over the approaching weeks with see it evaluation no less than 200 firm web sites within the hunt for deceptive environmental claims.
“As customers turn out to be more and more enthusiastic about buying sustainable merchandise, there are rising issues that some companies are falsely selling their environmental or inexperienced credentials. Deceptive claims about services or products undermine client belief and confidence available in the market,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard mentioned.
“This sweep types a core a part of our work in actively monitoring for ‘greenwashing’ available in the market and can assist inform what steps companies can take to enhance the integrity of their environmental claims.”
On the similar time, the ACCC is conducting an identical investigation focusing on pretend or deceptive on-line critiques and testimonials, checking enterprise web sites, Fb pages and third-party evaluation platforms.
A minimum of 100 companies will likely be reviewed on this preliminary sweep, focusing on areas wherein folks mostly depend on critiques together with family home equipment, electronics, vogue, magnificence merchandise, meals and eating places, journey companies, sport, dwelling enchancment, kitchenware, well being merchandise, in addition to furnishings and bedding.
Deceptive adverts by influencers on social media will likely be thought of in a second sweep that may search to on establish posts that don’t disclose promoting or sponsorship.
“Sadly, customers are going through an ever-increasing vary of manipulative advertising strategies designed to take advantage of or strain them, due partly to the large variety of on-line info sources obtainable. Customers usually depend on critiques and testimonials when making purchases, however deceptive critiques may be dangerous,” Rickard mentioned.
The ACCC motion comes as celeb influencer Kim Kardashian copped a US$1 million (A$1.5m) high quality from US regulator US Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) settlement for not disclosing she’d been paid US$250,000 to spruik Ethereum Max tokens to her 330 million Instagram followers.
She was banned from selling crypto currencies for 3 years as a part of the settlement with the SEC.
At the moment @SECGov, we charged Kim Kardashian for unlawfully touting a crypto safety.
This case is a reminder that, when celebrities / influencers endorse funding opps, together with crypto asset securities, it doesn’t imply these funding merchandise are proper for all traders.
— Gary Gensler (@GaryGensler) October 3, 2022
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