Zodiac Clothing Company Limited, which manufactures shirts, trousers, suits, etc., has come under the scanner of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for claiming that its new range of clothing is "coronavirus resistant".
The clothing company, headquartered in India, had launched a digital advertisement claiming its new range of apparel, under the brand Securo, is COVID-19-resistant. They have claimed that the new clothing range uses HeiQ Viroblock technology that kills bacteria and viruses, thereby offering the wearer 99 percent protection against COVID-19.
For live updates on coronavirus, click here
The company has been trolled heavily on social media since the launch of the advertisement, with multiple Twitter users tagging the official handle of ASCI to verify Zodiac’s claim.
According to a Live Mint report, Shweta Purandare, the Secretary-General of ASCI, has commented that several brands are now trying to make advertisements highlighting “immunity” as the USP of their products, given the current pandemic situation. She said: “Consumers are bringing potentially misleading advertisements to our notice. We are examining them to ascertain if the claims were adequately substantiated or are misleading by ambiguity and/or implication. As a policy, ASCI does not wish to comment on any particular complaint or brand.”
Zodiac has, however, issued a clarification answering all the queries concerning its range of anti-virus shirts. They claimed that the “HeiQ viroblock” technology used to make the anti-viral and anti-bacterial shirts have proven effective against SARS-CoV-2. They also said that the effect will last for a minimum of 30 machine washes at 40 degrees Celsius if they are ironed as per instructions.
Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis here
