Advertising board fines Adidas for failing to disclose pigskin use

ANKARA

The Trade Ministry’s Advertising Board has fined the renowned athletic apparel and footwear corporation Adidas for failing to disclose the use of pigskin leather in one of its products on its official Turkish website.

The board’s investigation discovered that while the foreign websites explicitly stated that a particular shoe model contained pigskin, the brand’s official Turkish website only mentioned "natural leather," without providing further information.

The board ruled that advertisements must clearly state if a product contains materials that may conflict with societal and religious sensitivities.

Citing the regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices, the board imposed a fine of 550,059 Turkish Liras on the well-known corporation and ordered the suspension of related advertisements.

Prior to the sanction, Adidas was asked to provide a formal response to the claims, but the brand did not respond to the request.