Advertising watchdog issues ultimatum to retailers over faux fur
The advertising watchdog has issued an ultimatum to retailers to ensure products they advertise as fake fur do not contain real fur.
UK retailers have until 11 February to ensure their adverts are accurate, according to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), which draws up advertising regulations. CAP warned firms may face sanctions if they continue to break the rules after this date.
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The ultimatum comes as part of a crackdown on the growing problem of products branded as faux fur containing real animal fur.
Last week the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which enforces CAP’s rules, slammed fashion retailer Boohoo for misleading consumers over the fur in one of its jumpers.
The ASA banned the Boohoo advert after a complaint from the Humane Society International (HSI), which found the fur was real after sending it to a laboratory for analysis.
CAP has now issued an enforcement notice telling retailers to take immediate action to ensure their advertising across all media contain accurate claims about the type of fur in the product.
“On a basic level, do not claim products are made from ‘faux fur’ if they contain real animal fur,” the regulator said.
Retailers were warned not to assume the low cost of a product indicates the fur is artificial, as current market conditions mean real animal fur is not always more expensive than fake fur.
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Claire Bass, executive director of HSI, said: “We welcome the ASA’s firm action to ban companies from falsely advertising real fur as faux.
“HSI UK’s investigations have shown time and time again a shocking amount of fake faux fur for sale in Britain, so we are delighted that the ASA is upholding our complaint and calling on retailers to take full responsibility to get their house in order.”
CAP said it does not take a view on the ethics of animal fur, stating it deals only with misleading advertising claims.