Additional Information for Gamka Sales Co. Inc.

On November 8, 2023, BBB contacted the business regarding its website stating the following, "Made in the USA" and "degradable."

According to the BBB Code of Advertising, “Made in USA” claims

“Made in USA,” and similar terms used to describe the origin of a product must be truthful and substantiated. In general, all or virtually all of the product must be made in the USA. Qualified “Made in USA” claims can be made under circumstances and with appropriate disclosures.

37.1 “Made in USA” and similar terms used to describe the origin of a product must be truthful and substantiated.
37.2 An advertiser must not express or imply that a product or product line is exclusively “Made in USA” unless all or virtually all of the product is made in the U.S. All significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no – or negligible – foreign content.
37.3 Advertisers can refer to products that are manufactured with foreign components as “Assembled in USA,” of the product’s principle assembly and last substantial transformation was completed in the U.S.
37.4 Qualified “Made in USA” claims, for example, “60% U.S. content,” “Made in U.S. of U.S. and imported parts,” are appropriate for products that are manufactured or have been substantially assembled domestically. However, advertisers must avoid making these claims if a significant amount of assembly or material of the product was not completed in the U.S. Qualified “Made in USA” claims, like unqualified claims, must be truthful and substantiated.
Please substantiate the noted “Made in U.S.A.” statement. It’s likely that the product manufacturer will have substantiation on hand. If substantiation is not readily available, we ask that you modify or discontinue the claims to comply with BBB advertising standards.

Please, note, the substantiation requirements for unqualified “Made in USA” claims are quite high are largely depend on the product itself. It is necessary to show that all individual components, along with their source materials of those components, are from the United States.

In cases where the end product is highly complex, it is very likely that some individual components and their source materials are from other countries. Unless the vast majority of components are from the US, it will be necessary to disclose the amount of foreign content.

In these instances, it may be appropriate to advertise products as “Manufactured” or “Assembled” in the USA if that is the case. However, if a significant portion of assembly or manufacturing was not completed in the United States, these modifications may not be appropriate.

Environmental Benefit Claims
Advertisers should avoid broad, unqualified environmental claims such as “green,” or “eco-friendly.” Other claims such as “degradable,” “recycled,” and “non-toxic,” should only be used when substantiated and properly qualified. Environmental Certifications and seals of approval may be used if properly issued. Additional disclosures are needed if not issued by an independent third-party.
Advertisers should not make broad, unqualified general environmental benefit claim like “green” or “eco-friendly.”
Advertisers must qualify general claims with specific environmental benefits.
Advertisers must possess competent and reliable evidence (often scientific evidence) to support all environmental benefit claims. Qualification for any claim must be clear, conspicuous, and understandable.
When an advertiser qualifies a general claim with a specific benefit, the benefit should be significant. Advertisers must not highlight small or unimportant benefits.
Unless clear from the context, any environmental claim must specify clearly and conspicuously whether the claim applies to the product, the product’s packaging, a service or just to a portion of the product, package or service.

Degradable
Advertisers may make an unqualified degradable claim if they have competent and reliable scientific evidence that the entire product or package will completely break down and return to nature within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal. For items entering the solid waste stream, advertisers should substantiate that the items completely decompose within one year after customary disposal.
Advertisers must qualify, clearly and conspicuously, degradable claims to the extent necessary to avoid confusion about the product’s or package’s ability to degrade in the environment where it is customarily disposed or the rate and extent of degradation.

Our goal is to help businesses avoid unreasonable consumer expectations and minimize potential liability whenever possible. We’ve detailed our request below.

Unless you can provide the scientific evidence showing your services/products are in fact biodegradable, we ask that you remove the statement/s from your website and any other place they may be advertised.

Unfortunately, the business responded and chose to not respond to the ad review.