An advertisement by Kathmandu marketing one of its puffer jackets as biodegradable has been pulled from New Zealand screens following a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Timelapse footage in the advertisement appeared to show Kathmandu’s BioDown jacket breaking down in a regular landfill environment, which the complainant said was misleading to consumers.
"There are multiple shots of a conventional landfill, which represent the majority of landfills we have in Aotearoa. This would lead a consumer to believe that their jacket would, in fact, biodegrade in these conditions," the complainant wrote.
The fine print at the bottom of the ad said the jacket could only biodegrade in "biologically active landfills without oxygen", urging viewers to "please check with your council for facilities”.
The complaint was referred to the complaints board to consider whether advertising standards had been breached after being accepted by the Advertising Standards Authority, but was settled by Kathmandu before it was heard, Consumer New Zealand investigative writer Vanessa Pratley wrote.
The New Zealand-founded brand said while they “categorically disagree with the complaint and without any admission of liability or fault”, it wished to “settle the complaint” by pulling the ad in the country.
“Kathmandu has removed the advertisement and undertakes that it will not use the advertisement again in New Zealand.”
The $600 BioDown jacket continues to be sold in stores and online, where it is being advertised as biodegradable, "every teeny, tiny bit".
The fine print below stated testing carried out by scientists for Kathmandu "under ASTM D5511 indicates biodegradation of 86.6% after 3 years could occur in optimal conditions in some biologically active landfills without oxygen", according to its website.
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