PVC industry wins advertising claims battle

[Alan Watson <alanwatson@gn.apc.org>]

This is typical of the pro-industry approach adopted by the ASA - the 
scientist that they used to advise them was apparently a specialist in 
crop breeding....

Alan

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PVC industry wins advertising claims battle
ENDS Daily - 08/12/99
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The UK's official watchdog for advertising standards has
criticised anti-PVC statements made by the Cooperative Bank
and Greenpeace UK in advertisements for a non-PVC credit
card published in 1996.  Backed by the environmental NGO,
the bank claimed that its biodegradable plastic card was
more environmentally friendly than normal ones, which are
made from PVC.  The adverts included the claims that PVC was
a cause of lower sperm counts and the predominant source of
environmental contamination by the toxic chemicals dioxins.
Responding to complaints from the British Plastics
Federation (BPF) and others, the statutory Advertising
Standards Authority (ASA) has now ruled that the
advertisements "denigrated" PVC and that they were "unduly
alarmist".  However, it sided with Greenpeace and the
Cooperative Bank on two other complaints by the BPF, ruling
that the advertisements "did not make excessive claims about
the effects of environmental dioxins  on learning and
behavioural problems", and that "the level of dioxins in
breast milk was a cause for concern".  The BPF has claimed
victory for its bid to get a ruling against the
advertisements, saying in a statement that they had been
"specifically designed to manipulate emotions".  The
Cooperative Bank was unable to comment on the case today.

Contacts:  ASA  (http://www.asa.org), tel: +44 171 580 5555;
Cooperative Bank (http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk), +44
161 832 3456;  BPF (http://www.bpf.co.uk), tel: +44 171 457
5000.

........................................................
 Alan Watson C.Eng
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