The Korea Fair Trade Commission said on the 15th it detected and sanctioned 17 online clothing retailers for inflating the fill and material content of winter apparel products such as goose down and duck down padding and winter coats in their ads.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) issued corrective orders to three companies, including E-Land World, Tcloud, and Archive Co., and warnings to 14 companies, including Wooyang Trading and Fashion Link. According to the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) investigation, these companies labeled the fill and fabric materials of goose down padding, duck down padding, and winter coats as better than they actually were, or advertised them as meeting certain standards even though they did not.
The investigation followed consumer complaints last year that the down content of goose down and duck down padding products sold on clothing platforms such as Musinsa differed from the ads, prompting the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to review the labeling and advertising practices of online clothing retailers.
Under current standards, feather (goose and duck) products can be labeled as "down products" only if down accounts for at least 75% of the total fill. Goose products can be labeled as "goose products" only if goose content is at least 80%. If there is more than one type of fill or if content varies by part used, it must be labeled separately.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) investigation found that some companies advertised goose padding products as "goose down" even though they did not meet the labeling standards for goose down, or indicated that only goose feathers were used even though feathers from other birds, such as ducks, were blended. In the case of duck padding, there were also cases where products were advertised as "down" or "duck down" despite falling short of the down-content standard, or where the down ratio was inflated compared with the actual level.
In other winter apparel such as winter coats, cases were found where the cashmere content was advertised as higher than it actually was. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) determined that such conduct constitutes false or exaggerated advertising that hinders consumers' rational choices.
During the investigation, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) had the companies delete or correct the problematic ads or halt sales, and said remedies such as refunds were provided to consumers who purchased the related products.
An official at the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said, "In winter clothing purchases, the fill and material content are important factors in consumers' choices," adding, "We will continue to work with clothing platforms to promptly correct similar false or exaggerated ads if they occur and minimize consumer harm."