Environmental claims

With consumers becoming more conscious about their impact on the environment, the use of environmental claims in advertising is becoming more common.

Advertisers have an obligation to be truthful in their claims and must not mislead or deceive consumers on the environmental benefits of their products and services.

Truthful, factual presentation, a genuine benefit to the environment, and substantiation are the key elements of the AANA Environmental Claims Code.

For more detail and guidance on making environmental claims read the AANA Environmental Claims Code: Practice Note.

Examples of previous decisions

Truthful or factual presentation

The Community Panel has found a breach of the Environmental Claims Code in the following cases:

• Environmental claims which provide a misleading impression to the average consumer in the target market.
  • Australian Gas Networks – 0202/20 
  • ATCO – 0292-22
     

The Community Panel found the following ads did not breach the Environmental Claims Code:

• Environmental claims that can be validated with independent research.
  • Reckitt Benckiser – 0078/21
  • Carlton and United Breweries – 0111/21
  • Vitasoy Australia – 0164/21
  • Transurban – 0259-21
  • HSBC – 0265-21
  • Lexus Australia – 0343-21
  • Energy Australia – 0047-22
  • Sheep Inc. – 0058-22
     

• General puffery is acknowledged by the Community Panel as a way of exaggerating the benefits of the product/service being promoted in a factual way.
  • Crowies Paints – 0171/20
  • Telstra – 0214/20
     

• Presenting factual information on the environmental benefits of a product/service.
  • Transurban – 0259-21
  • Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources – 0281-21, 0032-22
  • Lexus Australia – 0343-21
  • Australian Gas Networks – 0121-22, 0131-22, 0180-22, 0181-22
  • Glencore – 0224-22, 0225-22
  • Nissan Motor Co. (Australia) Pty Ltd – 0219-22
  • NSW Minerals Council – 0188-22
  • Ampol – 0209-22
  • Toyota Motor Corporation Australia – 0236-22
  • Shell Company of Australia – 0280-22
     

Genuine benefit to the environment

The Community Panel found the following ads did not breach the Environmental Claims Code:

• Broad claims, such as ‘sustainable’ and ‘clean’ that can be substantiated to show that they are not overstated and are reasonable summaries of the product or service.
  • Grill’d – 0276-21, 0295-21
  • Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources – 0281-21
     
• Claims which are specific and limited to a specific aspect of the product or service, when it is clear that the claim is limited to the aspect, and not making claims about broader environmental benefit.
  • Transurban – 0259-21
  • HSBC – 0265-21
  • Lexus Australia – 0343-21
  • BHP – 0035-22
  • Suncorp Ltd – 0070-22 
  • Jemena – 0187-22
     
• Environmental claims that states factual comparisons to other products.
  • Vitasoy Australia – 0164-21
     
• Claims about natural gas being naturally occurring where the advertiser does not indicate it is a replacement for renewable energy sources.
  • Santos – 0026/19
     

Substantiation

The Community Panel found the following ads did not breach the Environmental Claims Code:

• Claims about the sustainability and compliancy of products or services, when substantiated via official regulations or standards.
  • Coles – 0178/19
  • Mitre 10 Australia – 0242/19
  • Carlton and United Breweries – 0111/21
     
• Environmental claims that can be validated through independent research.
  • Transurban – 0259-21
  • HSBC – 0265-21
  • Lexus Australia – 0343-21
  • Energy Australia – 0047-22