Utilities, energy and environment

Helpful information on the advertising rules for activities, products or services relating to the environment, energy issues or home utilities.

Being seen to be ‘green’ can form an important part of a company’s corporate social responsibility agenda. But the rise in the number of advertisers promoting the environmental credentials of various different products and services has also prompted complaints about whether some ads make exaggerated or misleading claims.

This is why our advertising rules have a whole section dedicated to environmental claims which requires ads for activities, products or services relating to the environment, energy issues or home utilities to explain the basis of, and qualify their environmental claims in ads. Advertisers must also hold robust evidence for any comparisons they are making, acknowledge whether a split in informed expert opinion exists, and make clear any limits to the life cycle of a product.

Claims such as “environmentally friendly” should not be used without qualification unless advertisers can provide convincing evidence that their product will cause no environmental damage, taking into account the full life cycle of the product from manufacture to disposal. Less absolute claims, such as “friendlier”, “greener” or “kinder” are generally less risky, but will still need to be backed by evidence.

Because of the difficulty of providing proof for a specific claim, some advertisers have chosen instead to make a green statement of intent in their advertising. For example, they might claim to be “against environmental damage” or “working towards” or “aiming for” a greener future. The context in which these claims appear is key to judging whether they are likely to mislead. If such claims are likely to be seen as a mission statement or belief, the chances are they won't fall foul of the rules.

As well as proving their claims, advertisers need to be careful not to assume a level of consumer understanding greater than is reasonable, or likely in their ads. This is especially relevant for ads to do with the environment and energy issues, which may highlight technical subjects such as renewable sources and carbon offsetting, for example.

Advertisers should also take into account the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ‘Green Claims Code’ when preparing their ads for activities, products or services relating to the environment, energy issues or home utilities.

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Latest news

Ensuring your environmental claims are more than just hot air
- CAP News
- 06 June 2019
A fractious debate but a clear outcome
- ASA blog post
- 05 January 2017
- Guy Parker
Green claims in advertising
- CAP News
- 03 December 2015
'Exhaust'ive guidance? Environmental claims and electric vehicles
- CAP News
- 21 August 2014
Fuelling complaints?
- ASA News
- 01 October 2013
Wind energy
- CAP News
- 17 June 2013

View all news

Latest rulings

Friends of the Earth Ltd
- Not Upheld
- Internet (on own site)
- 10 July 2019
A website for Friends of the Earth, www.foe.co.uk, seen on 11 October 2017 on a page titled “Fracking and the campaign to stop climate change” stated under the heading “Why fight fracking? Climate change Fracking is incompatible with tackling climate change … Water Fracking risks contaminating ...
Fisher & Company Engineering Services Ltd t/a Fisher & Company
- Upheld in part
- Internet (on own site)
- 20 March 2019
A website for Fisher & Company, www.fisherandcompany.co.uk, seen in early July 2018, advertising solar powered pedestrian crossing beacons. On a web page titled “Solar Powered Belisha Beacons”, the website stated “SolarisV2™… Part No: FSBB2016 V2” and below that featured an imag...
InnoGreen Chem
- Upheld
- Internet (on own site)
- 20 March 2019
A product brochure for InnoGreen, a heat pump manufacturer, seen on 4 October 2018 featured the claim "InnoGreen GeoPro is the only Thermal Fluid on the market that has been designed specifically for closed loop ground and water collectors. Its design & development was completed in response to requests by lead...

View all rulings

Utilities, energy and environment

Helpful information on the advertising rules for activities, products or services relating to the environment, energy issues or home utilities.

Latest news

Ensuring your environmental claims are more than just hot air

A fractious debate but a clear outcome

Green claims in advertising

'Exhaust'ive guidance? Environmental claims and electric vehicles

Fuelling complaints?

Wind energy

Latest rulings

Friends of the Earth Ltd

Fisher & Company Engineering Services Ltd t/a Fisher & Company

InnoGreen Chem

Help getting it right

Popular advice

Motoring: Fuel consumption and emissions figures

Environmental claims: General

Environmental claims: Recycling

Relevant codes

11 Environmental claims

09 Environmental claims