March 13, 2008 - U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an advertising campaign for the U.S. cotton industry that refers to cotton as "sustainable," the Guardian reports. Regulators received several complaints about the ads from skeptical consumers who argue that cotton is a pesticide- and energy-intensive crop that depletes groundwater supplies.

Cotton USA, the trade group backing the ads, defended its "soft, sensual, and sustainable" tagline, claiming that U.S. cotton production meets the three basic principles of sustainability - environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability. The organization presented research it says demonstrates that modern cotton-crop pesticides are less harmful to the environment and that current agricultural practices are not as water intensive as is widely believed. Cotton USA also maintained that social inequities resulting from cotton production are limited to developing countries, particularly in West Africa.

In making its ruling, ASA cited a "a significant division of informed opinion as to whether cotton production in the U.S. could be described as sustainable," noting that ambiguity surrounding the term "sustainability" was likely to confuse consumers.

In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission is conducting a series of public hearings aimed at refining the agency's guidelines on green-marketing claims.