A misleading Shell ad is now banned!
This story is the best of June!
The Story
Fossil fuel companies are some of the biggest and worst greenwashers in the world, meaning their advertising makes them seem a lot more environmentally friendly than they are.
To the average consumer of these ads, that's no surprise. They've typically gotten away with it through vague claims and specific languaging that acts as a loophole around false advertising.
Until now! The UK has banned an ad by Shell for misleading consumers. This ad gave the impression that a high amount of its business is lower-carbon or renewable energy, which is not the case. This is basically the perfect example of greenwashing, and Big Oil is finally getting held accountable for lying to the public.
This story means that Big Oil and the world's worst polluters may not be able to continue marketing themselves as environmentally friendly while ignoring the true negative impacts of their operations and products.
Hannah Bowler
Take Action
Clean Creatives is a nonprofit project dedicated to ending fossil fuel advertising and greenwashing.
If you're a creative, marketer, agency, or creator, you can sign their pledge to decline work with fossil fuel companies.
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