Bloomin' marvellous - the verdict 1 November 2007
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that Shell has been making misleading green claims.
The decision followed a complaint by Friends of the Earth about Shell's advert that shows a refinery with flowers coming out of the chimneys, not smoke.
An oil refinery emitting flowers not smoke in Shell's advert
In the advert Shell claimed that it:
[uses its] waste carbon dioxide to grow flowers and waste sulphur to make super-strong concrete.
Part of the advert's message
Headline message of Shell's advert
Waste carbon dioxide
The ASA agreed that in conjunction with the advert's headline, readers were likely to believe that Shell uses all its waste carbon dioxide to grow flowers.
In reality, Shell uses less than 0.5% of its global carbon dioxide emissions to heat greenhouses near a refinery in the Netherlands.
Waste sulphur
The ASA also agreed that Shell's claim that it used its waste sulphur to make super-strong concrete was also misleading.
Shell has developed better ways of using its waste sulphur - a by-product of the refining process - but only practices these methods on a small proportion of its sulphur emissions.
We're delighted that Shell has been brought to book for its misleading claims.
Hannah Griffiths
Friends of the Earth Corporates Campaigner
Communities all over the world are suffering the effects of Shell's dirty operations and are urging people in the UK not to believe everything Shell says.
When I saw this advert I was deeply offended. Well done to the ASA for standing up to Shell.
Desmond D'Sa
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
Shell was challenged on the honesty of its advert in Belgium and the Netherlands.
In Belgium the complaint was rejected, but the Dutch Advertising Code Authority also upheld the complaint.
Instead of greenwashing its environmental behaviour, Shell should tackle its real problems.
Anne van Schaik, campaign leader for Milieudefensie
(Friends of the Earth Netherlands)
Further information
Shell advert is ruled 'misleading'
The Advertising Standards Authority today, 7 November 2007, upheld a complaint from Friends of the Earth that a Shell advert made misleading green claims about the oil giant's operations.
Shell told to stop 'greenwashing'
Dutch Advertising Authority accepts Friends of the Earth complaint against misleading advert.
Shell's flowery claims
Friends of the Earth is today, 8 May 2007, filing a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about a Shell advert that makes exaggerated and misleading green claims about the oil giant's operations.
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© Shell
