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 rulings

Esaverwatt.com t/a StopWatt
- Upheld
- Website (commercial classified)
- 30 September 2026
A product listing on Amazon for a smart home energy monitoring brand misleadingly exaggerated the effectiveness of the product by making claims that it could save electricity, reduce electricity waste and lower energy bills.
Stacey’s World Rocks
- Upheld
- Messaging app
- 26 August 2026
A Telegram post on the Stacey’s World Rocks account was socially irresponsible by encouraging people not to pay household bills.
Stove Industry Alliance Ltd t/a Stove Industry Association (SIA)
- Upheld
- Website (own site)
- 08 July 2026
[Republished ruling] A website for the Stove Industry Association made unsubstantiated claims that modern stoves emitted significantly lower emissions than open fireplaces or older stoves, and that they were a low-emission way to heat a home. It also failed to make the basis of comparative environmental claims clear.
Brighton & Hove City Council
- Upheld
- Poster (digital static image)
- 03 June 2026
A digital poster misleadingly implied there was a direct causal link between the use of wood burners and open fires and an increase in particle pollution, without having suitable evidence to back this claim up.

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.

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Latest rulings

Esaverwatt.com t/a StopWatt

Stacey’s World Rocks

Stove Industry Alliance Ltd t/a Stove Industry Association (SIA)

Brighton & Hove City Council

Help getting it right

Popular advice

Misleading environmental claims and social responsibility in advertising

Environmental claims: General “Green” claims

Greenspeaking with confidence – Environmental claims in advertising

Relevant codes

09 Environmental claims

11 Environmental claims