The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS), Singapore's advertising standards watchdog, deemed an advertisement by local electronics company Prism+ "not acceptable" due to some claims it made about one of its air conditioners.

The Prism+ Zero Smart Air-Con ad was featured on the company's Instagram page but has since been removed. It featured prominent blogger Wendy Cheng (Xiaxue).

The ad was removed from the company's Instagram page on Dec. 5, 2023, after ASAS notified the company that it had breached the advertising code.

This was the first time ASAS found a company in breach of the advertising code for greenwashing, ST reported.

Greenwashing is when a supplier deceives or misleads a consumer into thinking its practices, goods, and services are more environmentally friendly than they are.

Research conducted by the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School found that unsubstantiated claims are the most common form of greenwashing.

ASAS received a complaint about the campaign

ASAS received a complaint about the campaign, which featured a video of Cheng on a mission to "save the earth".

Cheng wore winter wear and set her Prism+ air-con unit temperature to 23°C.

The caption said, "Save Earth and electricity with five ticks energy saving", referencing Singapore's energy efficiency classification system for electrical appliances.

ASAS pointed to the claim Prism+ made about using Prism+ air conditioners as the "best tip" to "save Earth", and Cheng setting the temperature to 23°C, finding the ad was "not acceptable" under the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP).

ASAS chairman Ang Peng Hwa said the council is "of the position that these are not acceptable under the SCAP to communicate that the product brings about energy savings, irrespective of whether they can be demonstrated, in view of the energy such appliances consume".

ASAS said advertisements should not mislead in any way by "inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration or omission" and not misrepresent any matter likely to influence consumers' attitudes to the product.

ASAS reminded Prism+ that any claims about energy savings should be substantiated by independent parties' tests in conditions that apply to the local context.

Supposed to be "satirical humour"

A Prism+ spokesperson told ST that the ad was supposed to be "playful and tongue-in-cheek", and its theme of saving the Earth was described as "satirical humour".

"We believe that consumers should be discerning enough to know that regardless of how efficient an air conditioner is, it is not going to be beneficial for the environment," said the spokesperson.

He added that energy saving is not a key selling point of Prism+ air conditioners, stating that "everyone sells five-tick air cons now".

"PRISM+ prides itself on transparency of our product features and quality, and maintains that the energy-saving features on the ad are not misrepresented. This is something that we are prepared to stand by," the company spokesperson added.

The campaign ran from Oct. 17 to Nov. 19 before ASAS' decision, and the ad stopped running weeks before ASAS approached Prism+, CNA reported.

The video with Cheng was only removed from the Prism+ Instagram page after ASAS notified the company on Dec. 5.

"We have always had a cooperative stance towards ASAS. Greenwashing has never been part of our DNA," the spokesperson said.

Top photos via Prism+/Instagram