Australian Made Campaign applauds ACCC action over misleading ugg boot claims

Australian Made welcomes the successful ACCC action against Sydney company Ozwear Connection over misleading claims about the country of origin of their Chinese made ugg boots.

Ozwear was fined $25,200 over labelling and marketing statements which gave the misleading impression that their “Classic Ugg” products were made in Australia.

The company’s practices included labelling its boots with a green and gold swing tag shaped like a map of Australia and describing its products as “authentic Australian ugg boots”.

Chief Executive of the Australian Made Campaign Ben Lazzaro said this morning: “Australian shoppers and visitors to our country want to buy genuine Australian made products. This type of misleading marketing only makes it more difficult for consumers to find what they want.”

ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said in an ACCC statement: “Country of origin representations can be a powerful marketing tool for businesses, as many consumers are willing to pay extra for Australian made products.”

“When false or misleading representations are made about a product being Australian made, consumers may end up paying more for no reason at all and businesses who are genuinely making their products in Australia lose out,” said Mr Keogh.

When consumers buy Australian made they know they are buying quality products which have been made to Australian standards and designed for Australian conditions. They have the comfort of having access to local sales support if something goes wrong and knowing that their dollars are going back into the local economy and supporting Australian jobs.

Mr Lazzaro added “It’s unfortunate that the penalty imposed by the ACCC is relatively low. A higher penalty would act as a deterrent to other businesses in this industry contemplating exaggerating their Australian credentials.”

“The best way for consumers to identify authentic Aussie products is to look for the famous green and gold kangaroo logo, which means they are genuinely ‘Australian Made’” said Mr Lazzaro.