Shell faces ASA investigation over ‘drive carbon neutral’ claims
Oil major Shell is facing calls to shelve claims that customers using its petrol stations can ‘drive carbon neutral’ after a series of ads were referred to the UK’s advertising watchdog.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will investigate whether Shell’s claims of carbon neutrality stack up
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will investigate whether Shell’s claims of carbon neutrality stack up after it announced via radio adverts in October that it was the first petrol retailer in the country to offset carbon dioxide emissions from its forecourts by supporting forestry schemes – at no cost to the consumer.
With an investigation pending, Shell has sought to respond to mounting environmental concerns from the public, with a spokesperson saying: “Prior to launching this to our customers we did a huge amount of work and due diligence on our 'drive carbon neutral' offer, and we are happy to speak to the ASA to answer their questions.”
The ASA has said it will publish its findings on the case ‘in due course’.
Shell is no stranger to explaining itself to the regulator. In 2008 it was found to have misled the public by saying that a $10bn oil sands project in Canada was a ‘sustainable energy source’, a claim subsequently branded as misleading in a landmark ‘greenwash’ ruling.
More recently, Shell has also found itself on the receiving end of a Greenpeace attack ad over its Arctic oil drilling processes.
Content created with:
