Goodyear Admits Tire Claims Were Misleading, Offers Refund

By GreenBiz Staff, GreenBiz
Published July 1, 2008

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CANBERRA, AU -- The Eagle LS2000 tire doesn't live up to the green claims Goodyear made about it in promotional materials, and now the company has retracted those statements and is offering customers partial refunds.

Goodyear told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it could not substantiate all of the advertising statements about the tire, leading the claims to be labeled false and misleading.

The company said on its Australian website, media releases and sale materials that the Eagle LS2000 is "environmentally-friendly," has "minimal environmental impact," is made with a production process that results in reduced carbon dioxide emissions and includes technology that increases the life of the tire and improves fuel economy.

Goodyear is offering a partial refund to anyone who purchased the tire between Feb. 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, complaints to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have increased tenfold since it announced it would go after greenwashing in October.

"Environmental concerns, such as water or energy efficiency, are a major factor many consumers consider when evaluating products to purchase," Graeme Samuel, chair of the commission, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It is essential that consumers have accurate information on which to base their decisions."

Green claims are being targeted in other countries as well. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is revising its guide to environmental packaging statements, the U.K. saw four times as many complaints about green claims in ads in 2007 as in 2006 and Canada has issued new guidelines for green phrasing in ads and on packages.