Campaigns have accused the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of being ‘not fit for purpose’ against policing ‘greenwash’ campaigns, calling on the government to introduce a ban on high-carbon adverts.
A report published by the New Weather Institute, Adfree Cities, and Possible, found that in 2022, just 2% of environmental complaint cases resulted in a ruling where advertisers had to remove or change an advert.
The released figures show that of 503 environmental complaint cases logged in 2022, 65% were investigated, 16 were formally resolved and 12 were upheld in full.
The campaigners argue that the watchdog is “failing to protect citizens from the public health issues and climate impacts of high-carbon advertising”.
The environmental groups are calling for substantial ASA reforms to ensure it aligns with UK climate policy.
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This includes new enforcement powers for the watchdog to suspend ads during investigations, issue proactive rulings and fines and measures that would – as it is currently funded by the very industry it regulates – make it more independent and less reliant on advertising industry donations.
In addition, it is calling for the government to introduce a blanket ban on high-carbon advertising, the same legal process which currently restricts tobacco advertising.
“Greenwashing is out of control, and advertising is blithely promoting fossil fuels and bargain basement flights in a climate emergency – but the ad regulator cannot, or will not, act,” said AdFree Cities co-director Veronica Wignall.
“Anyone who reports an advert to the ASA over environmental concerns can expect to wait up to a year before action is taken, or a cloud of silence as the complaint is quietly dropped. We’ve seen blatant greenwashing by Barclays, BP and other polluters go ignored. This situation can’t continue.”
In response, the ASA has rejected the findings, arguing the research “fundamentally misrepresents and misunderstands” both the data and its process for handling complaints.
It referred to how it prioritised its formal rulings on “the most serious issues” that were likely to set key precedents – pointing out decisions against HSBC, Shell, Repsol and Petronas.
“[The rulings] have set ground-breaking standards for how businesses in high carbon-emitting sectors should not omit material information about their contribution to high carbon emissions,” an ASA spokesperson told BusinessGreen. “These rulings have been reflected in new guidance that now sets expectations for industries across these sectors.”
Despite this, Badvertising researcher and lead author of the report Emilie Tricarico said: “The UK’s advertising regulator is totally unfit to deal with these challenges and is failing in its duty to protect people and the planet.”
The report follows in the wake of research earlier this week from the Clean Creatives campaign, which highlighted the scale of PR and ad agencies’ work with fossil fuel companies.
