The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking a global leadership position on abuse of the term ocean plastics. Often, as in this case, marketing material gives the impression plastics have been recovered from the sea but this is usually not the case. Industry often defines ocean plastic as any plastic recovered from the environment within 50 km of a waterway – in the case of Indonesia’s 17,000 plus islands – that presumably means anywhere! Plastics recovered from the ocean are likely to be contaminated by microorganisms and weakened by exposure to the elements, making them unsuitable for reuse in consumer products. GLAD should be applauded for using recycled material in their product but, when consumers realise they have been misled it erodes confidence in the entire recycling industry. So hats off to the ACCC for pursuing this action.
The Federal Court has fined Clorox Australia $8.25 million for misleading environmental claims on its GLAD garbage and kitchen tidy bags. Between June 2021 and July 2023, the company marketed over 2.2 million products as containing “50% Ocean Plastic Recycled,” suggesting the plastic was sourced from ocean waste. However, the plastic was actually collected from Indonesian communities lacking formal waste management systems, located up to 50 kilometers inland from the coast .
The court determined that Clorox’s packaging implied a connection to ocean-sourced materials and portrayed the products as environmentally friendly, thereby breaching Australian Consumer Law. In addition to the financial penalty, Clorox is required to implement a compliance program, issue corrective notices, and cover part of the ACCC’s legal costs. Production of the misleading products ceased in July 2023 following the ACCC’s investigation.
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