FTC Goes After False Green Claims For Plastics

The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on manufacturers that falsely claim that their plastic products are biodegradable. Companies’ claims that are not backed with reliable scientific test data may be deceptive, violating federal law, the agency says. FTC filed a complaint against ECM BioFilms, which makes a plastics additive that the Ohio company claims will cause plastic to break down “in nearly all landfills.” That, the agency alleges, is a marketing misrepresentation. FTC also filed complaints against four other companies that manufacture and advertise plastics treated with additives that are touted as promoting biodegradability in landfills. In addition, 15 marketers of “oxodegradable” plastic waste bags received warning letters from FTC that their products are unlikely to break down as promised when disposed of in landfills. In a related case filed by FTC, Michigan-based AJM Packaging Corp., a company that makes and markets paper cups, plates, and other items, will pay a $450,000 fine for allegedly representing that its products are biodegradable or compostable without reliable data to back up those claims.