Bed sheets and pillows. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday that Kohl’s and Walmart have agreed to pay a combined $2.5 million and $3 million in civil penalties, as part of settlements to resolve allegations of violations around the use of "bamboo" in marketing campaigns.
According to the press release, the two companies allegedly violated the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (Textile Act) and associated rules and the Federal Trade Commission Act by making deceptive claims about products supposedly made of bamboo.
In complaints filed in the U.S. District Court, the government alleged that since 2015, Kohl’s and Walmart violated these rules by advertising products as made of bamboo when such products were actually made of rayon and did not contain bamboo fibers.
According to the complaints, the companies have sold a swath of items advertised as bamboo-based, ranging from clothing to bedding to bath towels, FOX 5 D.C.