Advertisements by oil and gas company Shell about its carbon offset program are misleading. According to the Advertising Code Committee, the company assumes that the entire company operates CO2-neutrally and that compensation of CO2 emissions by planting forests removes all harmful consequences.
The committee, therefore, determined in two cases that Shell must stop these advertisements.
The statements concerned advertisements on the tanker’s back and general statements for the program where refuelling customers pay 1 cent per litre extra to compensate for the emissions. The statement on the truck with the text “I am CO2-neutral on my way” was seen as confusing by a complainant because Shell works in an industry that causes a lot of CO2 emissions.
Shell argued that the text referred to the truck and could not be interpreted differently, but the committee did not agree. The term being on the road also has a figurative meaning.
The second complaint concerned various advertisements for the compensation program. They bear the text “Make the difference. Drive CO2-neutral.” A group of students from the VU Climate and Sustainability Law Clinic thought that the text went too far. They argued that many scientists see compensation by planting trees as insufficient because the compensation only takes place in the future. Shell was also unable to demonstrate that all CO2 emissions are compensated by paying 1 cent extra per litre of fuel filled.
Advertising Fossil Free and Greenpeace assisted the students. They want a total ban on fossil advertising, such as for fuels. They compare this to tobacco commercials.
Shell can still appeal the two rulings. The company could not immediately respond.