Energy & Science
Dutch Ad Watchdog Tells Shell to Pull ‘Carbon Neutral’ Campaign
- Law students complained that advertisements were misleading
- Carbon offsets are crucial part of Shell’s net-zero pledge
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The Netherlands’ advertising watchdog ruled that a Royal Dutch Shell Plc advertising campaign that said customers can offset the carbon emissions from their fuel purchases is misleading.
Shell offers customers the option of paying extra for fuel, such as gasoline, saying it will use the proceeds to plant trees and re-absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Advertising Code Committee agreed with a complaint from a group of nine law students who said the company could not prove it is fully offsetting the emissions, according to a statement.