Misleading green claims

Investigation reveals greenwashing by major brands – even after ASA ad bans

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Published: May 15, 2025
This Article was written by: Katie Hill - My Green Pod
aviation, business, drinks, greenwash, media, motoring, transport, travel

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An investigation has found that major brands – including car manufacturers, an airline and a bottled water company – have apparently continued to promote green claims even after they were ruled ‘misleading’ in a crackdown on greenwashing by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

Reporters at Unearthed, Greenpeace UK’s investigative journalism unit, analysed online marketing activity by 44 companies called out by the ASA in recent years for making misleading green claims. They found that at least five had continued to promote similar or identical claims after the ASA rulings.

Virgin Atlantic, Renault & Aqua Pura

Virgin Atlantic kept posts pinned to the top of its Instagram, TikTok and X accounts boasting it completed the first transatlantic flight using ‘100% sustainable aviation fuel’.

The ASA ruled against Virgin nine months ago for using this language in an advert, saying it was likely to lead a ‘significant proportion’ of people to ‘overestimate’ the environmental benefits of the fuel.

Renault published videos on Facebook and YouTube last year claiming its hybrid cars offered ‘up to 80% electric driving’ in the city, despite a 2023 ASA investigation which found that this wording fell foul of rules against misleading environmental claims.

Bottled water brand Aqua Pura continued to boast about its ‘NEW Environmentally Friendly Caps’ on the front page of its website, three years after the ASA told the company to stop claiming that plastic bottle lids were ‘eco-friendly’.

Response to findings

At least three of the brands named – Aqua Pura, car manufacturer MG and artificial grass maker Easigrass – made changes to their websites this week in apparent response to the investigation.

Aqua Pura and Easigrass acknowledged the claims had been repeated in error. A Renault UK spokesperson said the company would ‘investigate the issues raised’ by the findings.

However, a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic defended the ads and told Unearthed and the Guardian that sustainable aviation fuel would be key to achieving net zero, and that the company’s transatlantic flight using the fuel was a ‘milestone for the industry’.

Cracking down on greenwash

In September 2021, the ASA launched a multi-year crackdown on greenwashing in advertising in what it said was an effort to support the UK’s push for net zero.

By the end of last year this had resulted in rulings against 44 companies for breaching rules against misleading environmental claims.

Environmental campaigners say the investigation raises serious questions about the ASA’s ability to detect and police breaches of its rulings.

While the watchdog claims most advertisers comply with its rulings to avoid reputational damage, it does not have the power to impose fines and its sanctions are limited.

An ASA spokesperson said the regulator would carefully assess the ad claims Unearthed had brought to its attention and it would ‘consider each case on its merits’.

He added that the ‘world leading work on climate change and the environment continues to be a priority area”’and that it continues to ‘proactively monitor green claims using our AI-based Active Ad Monitoring system’.