A plastic rubbish bag manufacturer has been fined $30,000 for misleading claims that the bags were environmentally friendly.
The Commerce Commission said Pacrite Industries claimed its bags, marketed as Greensac or The Green One, were better for the environment than normal plastic bags.
However, the company admitted those claims were misleading because while the bags did decompose better when exposed to oxygen, they did not break down any better in landfill.
Judge Collins said during sentencing in the Auckland District Court on Friday that environmental issues were increasingly important to consumers, and companies had a responsibility to live up to green marketing.
The bags are no longer being manufactured.
