The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
The Cheeky Panda's 'sustainable' and 'biodegradable' baby products banned by ASA
ASA banned The Cheeky Panda's 'sustainable bamboo' and 'biodegradable' claims for nappies and wipes after P&G complained the evidence covered other products.
The Cheeky Panda Ltd · 2026-02-04
What happened
The Cheeky Panda marketed bamboo nappies and baby wipes on its own website with absolute claims: 'SUSTAINABLE BAMBOO', '100% sustainable bamboo fibre', 'Biodegradable Baby Wipes' and 'kinder to the planet… protecting the planet'.
Procter and Gamble UK complained, and the ASA upheld all three issues. The sustainability evidence relied on a life-cycle assessment for the company's bamboo toilet tissue — which is flushed, unlike nappies — and the biodegradability test only showed the viscose degrading roughly 80% over 122 days with carbon dioxide as a by-product, contradicting the 'no trace' claim.
The ASA found consumers would read the claims as absolute, covering the whole product across its life cycle, and that the evidence did not support them.
Why it happened
- A life-cycle assessment for one product was reused for another whose disposal differs entirely
- 'Biodegradable' was claimed as absolute while the test covered only one ingredient, and only partially
- Absolute green claims demand life-cycle evidence the company did not hold
The lesson
An environmental claim is only as strong as the evidence for that exact product. Reusing a study for a different one, or calling a partial degradation 'biodegradable', invites a greenwashing ruling.
Aftermath
The ASA told The Cheeky Panda to ensure the basis of its environmental and comparative claims was clear. The company had already removed the word 'sustainable', the biodegradability references and the 'kinder to the planet' claim from its website.
Sources
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