The ASA found the following claims misleading:
1 ‘Plastic water bottles present risks to health’.
Bottled water is sold in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles that do not contain BPA, and levels of antimony in bottled water are well below the legally permitted level. The ASA could not find evidence that plastic bottles presented the risks to health described in the ad, and said, ‘the claims related to health risks were very strong and denigrated bottled water’.
2 The environmental benefit of using the T6 compared to bottled water.
The T6 is manufactured and assembled abroad. The ad made repeated claims about the product’s environmental benefits compared to bottled water, including text that stated ‘the T6 did not harm the planet’ and that consumers who used it could have a ‘clear conscience’. The ASA found no evidence to support this.
3 ‘A 1-litre bottle of water needs three litres … ‘
The ASA didn’t think there was adequate evidence to substantiate this objective claim.
4 ‘The cleanest, purest water you’ve ever tasted’.
The ASA considered these claims were misleading and couldn’t be substantiated.
Kinvara Carey, general manager of the Natural Hydration Council, said: “We strongly support the ASA ruling that Strauss Water’s advertising has misled the public about bottled water. Naturally sourced bottled water is one of the healthiest ways to hydrate, and in fact one of the most environmentally friendly soft drinks produced.
“At a time when the average Briton drinks less than one glass of water a day, all forms of water consumption should be encouraged, and it is irresponsible of Strauss Water to use such outlandish and inaccurate denigration in a bid to promote their filtration machines.”
Source: Natural Hydration Council
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