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On 4 February 2026 the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld two separate rulings (1,2) against environmental claims made for baby wipes and nappies.
The CAP code requires that for environmental and comparative environmental claims, the basis and meaning be clear and supported by a high level of substantiation.
In both cases, claims such as ‘kinder to the planet’ and ‘better for our world’, were considered as comparative claims and therefore required information outlining the basis and meaning of the comparison and claim. Moreover, claims such as ‘eco’ and ‘sustainable’ in the absence of the basis of the claims, were deemed as absolute claims and therefore required evidence pertaining to the full life cycle of the products. The ASA found that the evidence provided in both cases did not consider the full cycle of the products, therefore the claims were seen as likely to mislead.
Additionally in both cases, the ASA understood the claims pertaining to ‘biodegradable’ would likely to be interpreted by the consumer as meaning the wipes in their entirety would fully biodegrade, and that the biodegradation would occur under all conditions, locations and states of use in which they might be responsibly disposed. In both rulings, the evidence provided did not show the wipes as a whole would biodegrade in real world conditions in which consumers would have understood from the ad, and therefore ASA concluded the claim was likely to mislead.
The ads must not appear again their current form, and the brands must ensure future environmental claims and their basis and meaning are made clear, and that robust substantiation is held to support them.
