Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Lipton Ice Tea rapped for misleading recycling claim

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Lipton Ice Tea, accusing the brand of a misleading claim on plastic recycling.

The complaint referred to a poster for Lipton Ice Tea seen on a bus shelter on 13 August 2021, featuring headline text which stated “DELICIOUSLY REFRESHING, 100% RECYCLED*”. The ad also included pack shots of two Lipton Ice Tea bottles, with a recycling logo and the text “I’M 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC” visible.


The asterisk linked to small text at the bottom of the poster stated “Bottle made from recycled plastic, excludes cap and label”. But the complaint challenged whether the claim misleadingly implied that all of the Lipton bottle was made from 100% recycled plastic.

In its response to the ASA, Pepsi Lipton International said the headline claim had a clear asterisk that indicated to consumers there was a qualification that should be read in conjunction with it.

The firm accepted that the size of the text in the qualification was small and could have been overlooked, but they said the wording of the qualification was sufficient to clarify that the claim related to the bottle only and excluded the cap and label.

The ASA, however, considered that consumers would understand the claim “100% RECYCLED*” alongside images of the bottle with the label and cap to mean that all components of the Lipton Ice Tea bottle (i.e. the bottle, cap and label) were made entirely from recycled materials.

The agency added that the qualification was insufficient to counter the overall impression created by the ad, that is, all parts of the bottle were made entirely from recycled materials.

“Because the overall impression of the ad was that all components of the bottle were made entirely from recycled materials when that was not the case, we concluded that the claim “100% RECYCLED*” was misleading,” the regulator said.

Ruling that the ad must not appear again in the form complained about, the ASA asked Pepsi Lipton International to ensure their advertising did not state or imply that their product packaging was made from 100% recycled material where it contained components that did not meet the criteria.

More for you

Historic store's closure 'signals death knell for high street', warns retail body
Photo: iStock

Historic store's closure 'signals death knell for high street', warns retail body

The closure of one of Britain's oldest department stores due to recent tax rises signals a "devastating new chapter" for Britain's high streets, the country's leading retail body has warned.

Beales, a 143-year-old retail institution that opened its doors in Bournemouth in 1881, has announced the closure of its final remaining store in Poole's Dolphin Centre by the end of May, blaming increased tax burdens introduced in last October's Budget for making the business unviable.

Keep ReadingShow less
Distributor fined after failing to ensure essential safety checks on potentially toxic food items.

Distributor fined after failing to ensure essential safety checks on potentially toxic food items.

iStock image

Spice supplier fined for failing to ensure safety checks

A food importer and distributor has been fined after failing to ensure essential safety checks on potentially toxic foods it brought into the country.

Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard that Southall-based Al Noor Ltd failed to notify port authorities in Suffolk about a shipment of spice mixes from Pakistan it received in May 2022. In the absence of a proper declaration, it did not undergo the necessary checks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Post Office Horizon scandal

Post Office Horizon scandal

Getty Images (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Over £663m paid to Post Office Horizon victims, says government

Approximately £663 million has been paid to over 4,300 claimants across four schemes for the victims of Post Office Horizon scandal. This is up from £594 million figure reported last month.

Sharing the latest report, Department for Business and Trade (DBT) stated on Friday (7) that £315 million has been paid under Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), including interim payments while £128 m has been paid under Group Litigation Order (GLO) Scheme.

Keep ReadingShow less
Post Office Horizon scandal: Keith Bell Wins £600K Compensation

Post Office Horizon scandal

Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Stockton former sub postmaster receives Horizon compensation

A former sub-postmaster who was wrongly convicted amid the Horizon scandal has recently received a £600,000 settlement.

Keith Bell, 76, was a sub-postmaster in Stockton, Teesside, between 1987 and 2002, when he was convicted of false accounting. He had to do 200 hours of community services when he was convicted.

Keep ReadingShow less
​James Hall & Co. Ltd marks  National Apprenticeship Week

James Hall & Co. Ltd marks National Apprenticeship Week

James Hall & Co. Ltd

James Hall celebrates National Apprenticeship Week 2025

James Hall & Co. Ltd is celebrating apprentices across the business during National Apprenticeship Week 2025.

Under the theme of ‘Skills for Life’, apprentices in a range of departments from IT to marketing, food and drink processing to facilities and maintenance, and butchery to retail are being acknowledged.

Keep ReadingShow less