Clothes-collection company cleared of deception

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 2 Dec 2009

The advertising regulator has rejected a complaint against a company asking for clothes donations to help the needy, in an adjudication that has been opposed by the Fundraising Standards Board.

Recycling Clothes Company was taken to the Advertising Standards Authority over plastic clothes donation bags it door-dropped. The packages included a plastic wrapper around a donation bag which asked householders to donate unwanted clothes and shoes “to the developing countries” and “help people”.

Today the ASA announced that it had not upheld a complaint that the company had misled the public into believing it was a charity because the wrapper included its registered company number on the wrapper and a statement that it was not a charity on the bag.

The decision has attracted some criticism from the FRSB.

Sam Wilson, marketing manager at the FRSB, told Civil Society Fundraising: “It is imperative there is a clear differentiation between private and charitable clothing collections.

“In terms of this specific complaint, we would have liked to have seen the statement that they were a commercial company on the outer wrapper rather than the inner one. We also feel they could have made it clearer that is was a company registration number not a charity one due to risk of confusion by the public.”

The FRSB is working with the Office of the Third Sector on the Giving With Care campaign, designed to educate the public to distinguish charitable from commercial collections.

Directory: Fundraising Standards Board | Fundraising Standards Board | Office of the Third Sector

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