Proctor and Gamble spies caught red-handed searching Unilever bins. £6.8 million settlement agreed.

Soap powder leaders Proctor and Gamble and Unilever have been involved in one of America's biggest commercial espionage rows.

In America 'trash archeology' is big business. Discared documents for Unilever's latest business plans for shampoo were found in rubbish bins by agents employed by Procter and Gamble. The $10 million settlement was reached only after Unilever threatened to callin the FBI.

Searching through bins is not unusual. British firms deny such tactics but private investigators acting on their own initiative are often accused of having 'gone too far'.

Security shredding of commercially sensitive waste by UKSSA members can help prevent your business losing valuable information.