Toronto – 2 years after application complaint Competition Bureau on Shell's claims “Promoting carbon neutrality” Greenpeace Canada is today claiming victory over the oil giant's removal of the ad from its Canadian platform because the ad misled the public.
confirmed by the secretariat Email Greenpeace Canada It first actually launched an investigation into the company's advertising in December 2023, but announced it was ending the investigation after Shell removed all language about its Drive Carbon Neutrality program from its Canadian website and app. .
in the advertisements published in 2020Shell encouraged the public to buy its fossil fuel products, claiming that carbon offsets could be used to „cover all emissions from fuel production to use.“
However, Greenpeace Canada complaint Questions to the agency raised questions about the veracity of the company's advertising. These included a lack of evidence that Shell could fully offset its fossil fuel emissions and serious flaws in its carbon offset system.
Shell, which relies on tree planting and other efforts to offset fuel emissions, has not yet fully substantiated its claims to the public. The company is globally went back quietly The company had previously planned to invest heavily in carbon offsets.
This development comes in the wake of criticism of carbon offsets. indigenous people, scientist Other companies continue to grow.Due to the hot and dry climate forest offset Literally going up in smoke. Logging and other industrial disturbances in Canada's north are also damaging forests' ability to absorb and store carbon, according to a report. groundbreaking recent research.
Despite removing the ad, to date Shell has not retracted or apologized to Canadians. Additionally, Shell is still promoting this program. other countries.
Shane Moffatt, Greenpeace Canada's Nature and Food Campaign Director, said:
“While this is a major victory in the fight against carbon offsetting and other forms of greenwashing, Shell now has a responsibility to be transparent with the public. They have deceived people into buying their products for many years. The company should now officially issue a retraction and admit that these offsets and advertisements are not worth the paper they are written on.
Given the increasing use of greenwashing, it is clear that more accountability is needed from companies like Shell who mislead the public into promoting products that are harmful to the environment. . ”
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Note to editors:
- The Competition Bureau's letter to Greenpeace Canada regarding this complaint, dated December 14, 2023, can be found here. here.
- You can access the full complaint here;
- Media backgrounder is available here;
- Our recommendations for the federal government's climate change strategic assessment are: here
- blog post Protect forests, plant trees, and fight climate change – separate fact from fiction can read here.
For media inquiries, please contact us below.
Dina Nee, Greenpeace Canada Communications Officer
(email protected); +1 (416) 820-2148