The UK’s advertising watchdog has barred several funeral providers from claiming their funeral packages are “eco-friendly” after it found them to be misleading.
Both Golden Leaves and JC Atkinson & Son have been advertising “green” packages on their websites, implying that theirs were more environmentally healthy than competitor’s offers.
The Golden Leaves website reportedly advertised “Choosing an environmentally-friendly funeral not only assists your loved ones, but also makes a positive statement of intent to help preserve the world in which we live”.
The JC Atkinson & Son site had a selectable ‘eco’ option, including its “Reflections” range which stated “The eco-friendly Reflections range is for those wanting a truly personalised tribute.”
Both companies have since updated and removed the misleading claims from their sites per the request of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), but have also argued their cases in statements.
JC Atkinson & Son has stated it believes the claims could be substantiated, but would respect the ASA’s ruling that the company had not provided sufficient evidence that the range had no negative environmental impacts.
In the case of Golden Leaves, the company claimed the “green” advertising was in relation to an entire funeral plan package, and was intended to inspire eco-conscious thinking on the part of its customers.
The ASA ruled that the advertisement “must not appear in its current form”.
