De Longhi alters "environmentally friendly" claims

De Longhi Australia Pty Ltd has provided court-enforceable undertakings to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that the company will refrain from making misleading environmental claims for its portable air conditioning products.

De Longhi - an importer, distributor and supplier of electrical appliances - has admitted to making representations in its marketing materials that its portable air conditioners are "environmentally friendly" and contain "non-harmful gases", when this is not the case.

De Longhi sells a range of portable cooling units that use harmful greenhouse gases (R407C, R410A). It also sells "ECO" model coolers that use R290, a low impact global warming gas.

The ACCC raised concerns with De Longhi that its environmental claims were misleading in contravention of the Trade Practices Act 1974, as they gave the impression that De Longhi's portable coolers and their component gases were "environmentally friendly".

In response to the ACCC's concerns, De Longhi has agreed to refrain from using unqualified claims that its products are "environmentally friendly" and has amended the advertising for its ECO models to specify that R290 is the most environmentally friendly refrigerant gas currently available for use in domestic portable air conditioners.

De Longhi has also published a corrective notice in the March Appliance Retailer trade magazine and has agreed to implement a trade practices compliance program.

"This is another reminder to businesses to be wary of engaging in misleading green and environmental claims," ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said today. "In particular, where traders are seeking to make claims regarding the environmental benefits of their products, they must ensure that they properly specify and explain those benefits in order to avoid misleading consumers."