Liverpool company Recycle Proline has been banned from using bags that overstated the charity connections on its textile collection bags.
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) told the company that the adverts on the bags for textile collection had to make “clear to consumers that they were a commercial company and that recipients were not donating directly to a charity”.
On the bags, Cancer Research and Genetics UK were given prominence along with a charity reference number.
But the ASA noted that smaller text said that Recycle Proline donated at least £3,200 per month to these charities from proceeds of sale.
The complainant challenged whether the presentation of the ad on the bag was misleading because it did not make sufficiently clear the commercial nature of the business given the prominence of the charity message.
Recycle Proline responded that it had made changes to the design of the clothing collection bags following a previous complaint to the ASA and as such felt that its had addressed any potentially misleading aspects of the ad.
However, the ASA upheld the complaint against Recycle Proline and ordered it to make changes.
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