The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Lavazza Coffee (UK) Ltd over a paid-for search ad promoting its “Eco Caps” coffee pods, ruling that the ad was misleading due to its unqualified use of the term “compostable.”
The ad, seen in June 2024, described the product as offering “the coffee shop taste in compostable capsules for your home.” The ASA concluded that consumers were likely to interpret “compostable capsules” to mean the pods could be composted at home, which was not the case.
The capsules are certified to the European Standard EN13432, meaning they are only suitable for industrial composting—an option not widely accessible through household waste services.
While Lavazza argued that the term “compostable” referred to the material properties of the product, not the method of disposal, the ASA ruled that the omission of key information amounted to a breach of advertising rules.
It noted that the ad failed to clearly state that the pods required industrial composting and that such facilities may not be available to all consumers.
The ruling highlighted that Lavazza had sufficient space in its search ad—18 unused characters out of 270—to clarify the disposal method.
Furthermore, while disposal guidance was available on deeper pages of Lavazza’s website, it was not accessible through the ad or the immediate landing page.
As a result, the ASA found the ad breached the CAP Code on misleading advertising and environmental claims.
Lavazza has been instructed not to run the ad again in its current form and to ensure future ads clearly communicate correct disposal methods for compostable products.
This ruling is part of the ASA’s wider investigation into environmental claims related to compostable products. Related decisions were also published on 30 April.