AGL 41.50 Increased By ▲ 2.96 (7.68%)
AIRLINK 128.00 Decreased By ▼ -1.50 (-1.16%)
BOP 6.26 Increased By ▲ 0.65 (11.59%)
CNERGY 4.13 Increased By ▲ 0.27 (6.99%)
DCL 8.44 Decreased By ▼ -0.29 (-3.32%)
DFML 40.69 Decreased By ▼ -1.07 (-2.56%)
DGKC 87.90 Decreased By ▼ -0.40 (-0.45%)
FCCL 34.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.90 (-2.57%)
FFBL 66.33 Decreased By ▼ -1.02 (-1.51%)
FFL 10.56 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.47%)
HUBC 108.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.06 (-0.06%)
HUMNL 14.46 Decreased By ▼ -0.20 (-1.36%)
KEL 4.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-2.11%)
KOSM 7.33 Increased By ▲ 0.38 (5.47%)
MLCF 42.72 Increased By ▲ 1.07 (2.57%)
NBP 60.84 Increased By ▲ 1.24 (2.08%)
OGDC 178.97 Decreased By ▼ -4.03 (-2.2%)
PAEL 25.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.55 (-2.1%)
PIBTL 6.06 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (1.51%)
PPL 146.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.55 (-0.37%)
PRL 24.91 Increased By ▲ 1.30 (5.51%)
PTC 16.14 Decreased By ▼ -0.42 (-2.54%)
SEARL 70.20 Increased By ▲ 1.90 (2.78%)
TELE 7.22 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.14%)
TOMCL 36.20 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (0.7%)
TPLP 7.84 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.13%)
TREET 15.59 Increased By ▲ 1.39 (9.79%)
TRG 50.36 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-0.18%)
UNITY 26.90 Increased By ▲ 0.15 (0.56%)
WTL 1.24 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (2.48%)
BR100 9,795 Decreased By -11.1 (-0.11%)
BR30 29,647 Decreased By -31.2 (-0.1%)
KSE100 92,021 Decreased By -282.9 (-0.31%)
KSE30 28,665 Decreased By -175.5 (-0.61%)

Unilever Pakistan has said that it will challenge the order of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) after the authority said it is imposing a fine of Rs60 million on the multinational company for airing deceptive claims through television commercials for its hygiene and cleansing products, ‘Lifebuoy (Care and Protect) Soap’ and ‘Lifebuoy Hand Wash’.

“Unilever Pakistan is a responsible marketeer and a member of the Pakistan Advertisers Society,” Unilever Pakistan said in a statement.

“Lifebuoy is a trusted brand name and stands by its claims and will be challenging CCP’s order before the appropriate Appellate Forum.”

Its statement comes after the CCP said on Friday that it has passed an order imposing the fine.

“The commission’s bench disposed of proceedings pertaining to a show cause notice issued to Unilever Pakistan for prima facie violations of Section 10 of the Competition Act of 2010 that prevents businesses from engaging in deceptive marketing tactics based on misleading information or false claims,” it added.

“Enforcing prohibition against deceptive marketing is one of the core mandates of CCP.

“The commission protects consumers from misleading information and safeguard competitors from anti-competitive behaviour that could harm business interests of undertakings,” the statement read.

Deceptive marketing practices: CAT upholds CCP’s findings in plea filed by RB

According to details, based on a complaint submitted by Reckitt Benckiser about products namely Lifebuoy Soap and hand wash, CCP conducted an inquiry into Unilever Pakistan Limited’s absolute claims regarding its products, such as “100% guaranteed protection from germs”, “World’s No. 1 germ protection soap”, and “99.9% germ protection in 10 seconds.”

“The disclaimers about these claims were printed in tiny fonts and were hardly noticeable.

“Unilever Pakistan Limited was found to be misleading consumers and harming other businesses by making false claims about their products,” the CCP added.

The commission’s order observed five distinct violations of Section 10 of the Competition Act.

“The claims related to health and safety were not substantiated by reliable scientific evidence. The order also cited that Unilever continued to engage in deceptive practices despite the issuance of a show cause notice.

“The order further noted that Unilever’s deceptive practices varied by region, with different wording for the same product in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UK, and Bangladesh.

Unilever Pakistan Foods’ earnings jump 23% to hit Rs9.74bn in 2023

“The most severe deceptions were found in Pakistan, which the commission deemed unacceptable.”

While imposing a penalty of Rs60 million on Unilever for deceptive marketing practices, the CCP additionally directed Unilever to submit a compliance report to the Registrar of CCP within 30 days of issuance of the order.

The story, originally published on August 9, 2024, was updated on August 10, 2024 to incorporate Unilever Pakistan’s statement on the CCP order.

Comments

200 characters
Zahid Aug 10, 2024 04:55am
Asslam o alakum Dettol soapsand dettle liquids prices are to high also
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Aamir Aug 10, 2024 05:48am
Penality should have been higher so as to act as a deterrent for all businesses in future.
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Aam Aadmi Aug 10, 2024 07:50am
Apparently a positive move to show the writ of law but is there anything in this country that conforms to the claims of manufacturers? I request the CCP and the readers to name only one.
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Luxy Aug 10, 2024 03:31pm
CCP ko paisay chahye?
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
[email protected] Aug 11, 2024 12:03am
About time these big elephants with impunity brought under clutches of CCP...well-done CCP...keep them accountable
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Arsalan Aug 11, 2024 04:27am
finally we are challenging the giants who exploit countries like ours. First they were stealing our water for thr bottled waters. enough is enough
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
umair usman Aug 11, 2024 07:16am
seems like government has finally started working
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Jawaid Aug 12, 2024 01:15am
Spread this news, wisely. Misleading is a crime. Electronic media never play wise role. It is a battle between UTT and R&B. BOTH EUROEAN.
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Jawaid Aug 12, 2024 01:17am
Battle of UP and R&B. misleading is a crime.
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply
Luxy Aug 12, 2024 10:43am
@Jawaid, chal hat..Unilever ka kuch lagta
thumb_up Recommended (0) reply Reply