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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/mar/30/clothing-collection-bags-recycle-proline-asa
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| Company's clothes collection bags banned for being misleading | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A company’s clothes collection bags have been banned for failing to make clear that it was a commercial business and that recipients were not donating directly to a charity. | A company’s clothes collection bags have been banned for failing to make clear that it was a commercial business and that recipients were not donating directly to a charity. |
| The bags, distributed by Recycle Proline Ltd, were headlined “Cancer Research & Genetics UK” on both sides and also included a charity registration number. | The bags, distributed by Recycle Proline Ltd, were headlined “Cancer Research & Genetics UK” on both sides and also included a charity registration number. |
| Text on one side provided the collection details and said “Please help us to raise funds for Cancer Research & Genetics UK”. | Text on one side provided the collection details and said “Please help us to raise funds for Cancer Research & Genetics UK”. |
| On the other side the bags read “Fundraises to further our campaign to raise awareness of cancer and its genetics links in UK and Europe. Help us by donating ...” and listed the items the company would accept. Smaller text stated “Recycle Proline Ltd is a commercial company which collects second hand clothing and donate [sic] at least £3,200 per month to Cancer Research & Genetics UK from the proceeds of sale.” | On the other side the bags read “Fundraises to further our campaign to raise awareness of cancer and its genetics links in UK and Europe. Help us by donating ...” and listed the items the company would accept. Smaller text stated “Recycle Proline Ltd is a commercial company which collects second hand clothing and donate [sic] at least £3,200 per month to Cancer Research & Genetics UK from the proceeds of sale.” |
| One recipient complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that the bags were misleading because the company’s commercial status was not sufficiently clear given the prominence of the charity message. | One recipient complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that the bags were misleading because the company’s commercial status was not sufficiently clear given the prominence of the charity message. |
| Recycle Proline said it had changed the design of its bags following a previous complaint to the ASA, making it clear that it was a commercial company that donates a portion of its profits to charity. | Recycle Proline said it had changed the design of its bags following a previous complaint to the ASA, making it clear that it was a commercial company that donates a portion of its profits to charity. |
| However, the watchdog said there was no mention of Recycle Proline on the front of the bag and, overall, the charity’s name and registration number were more prominent than the company’s details. | However, the watchdog said there was no mention of Recycle Proline on the front of the bag and, overall, the charity’s name and registration number were more prominent than the company’s details. |
| The ASA said the bags should not appear again in their current form as they were “likely to give consumers the misleading impression that they were donating directly to the charity”. | The ASA said the bags should not appear again in their current form as they were “likely to give consumers the misleading impression that they were donating directly to the charity”. |
| Clothing collection bags have been an ongoing issue for the ASA. | Clothing collection bags have been an ongoing issue for the ASA. |
| Aside from the previous complaint about Recycle Proline, the ASA has previously banned bags distributed by GT Recycling Ltd, which featured the “Kids ‘n’ Cancer UK” logo and read “Recycle with us ... using the bag enclosed. Our authorised collector ...” | Aside from the previous complaint about Recycle Proline, the ASA has previously banned bags distributed by GT Recycling Ltd, which featured the “Kids ‘n’ Cancer UK” logo and read “Recycle with us ... using the bag enclosed. Our authorised collector ...” |
| The watchdog ruled that GT Recycling’s bags were misleading because they did not make it clear that the company, rather than the charity, was responsible for the bags. | The watchdog ruled that GT Recycling’s bags were misleading because they did not make it clear that the company, rather than the charity, was responsible for the bags. |
| “We understood that GT Recycling Initiatives were responsible for co-ordinating the marketing material and paid Kids ‘n’ Cancer for the use of their name, logo and details,” the ASA said. | “We understood that GT Recycling Initiatives were responsible for co-ordinating the marketing material and paid Kids ‘n’ Cancer for the use of their name, logo and details,” the ASA said. |
| “Although they provided payment to the charity, GT Recycling Initiatives were mainly collecting for their own commercial purposes. Because the commercial purpose of the ad and the advertiser’s involvement was not made clear, we concluded that it was misleading.” | “Although they provided payment to the charity, GT Recycling Initiatives were mainly collecting for their own commercial purposes. Because the commercial purpose of the ad and the advertiser’s involvement was not made clear, we concluded that it was misleading.” |