UK Bans ‘Misleading’ Fossil Fuel Ads That Overemphasize Renewables
Each of the campaigns targeted by the Advertising Standards Authority emphasizes the oil companies’ ambitions on renewable energy.
Among the ads banned by the UK’s advertising regulator is a Shell commercial that uses the phrase “cleaner energy.”
Image courtesy of the ASA
The UK’s advertising regulator is cracking down on what it considers greenwashing by fossil fuel giants. A handful of newspaper, TV and poster adverts from Shell Plc, Repsol SA and Petronas International Corp. were banned in the country for touting investments in renewable energy without mentioning the extent of each company’s polluting activities.
Businesses in high-emitting sectors “need to be really careful” with environmental messages, said Guy Parker, chief executive officer of the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority, in an interview with Bloomberg Green. “Chances are you’re going to need to add some balance to your ads.”