Shell ticked off for misleading green hydrogen advert

Photo: Depositphotos.com
Photo: Depositphotos.com

Shell has been warned for making misleading advertising claims for the second time in six months by the Dutch advertising standards authority RCC, news agency ANP has reported.

This time the RCC has found in favour of two complaints by members of the public who objected to a Shell advert stating that ‘we make millions of kilometres cleaner’, by providing green hydrogen to power buses, trucks and cars.

The RCC said that it had several issues with the advert. Firstly, the term ‘green hydrogen’ is misleading because it is a byproduct from the production of chlorine, and while certified as environment friendly, this is not what the average consumer would consider to be green.

The use of ‘millions’ is also misleading because Shell could not provide sufficient evidence of how many kilometres are covered using hydrogen. The advert, the commission said, ‘suggests a significant contribution… but this is currently modest’ when compared with the total number of kilometres travelled.’

Shell said it would study the verdict before responding, adding that ‘we are changing into one of the biggest drivers of the energy transition in the Netherlands’.

At the end of August, the RCC said another Shell campaign about compensating for carbon dioxide emissions was also misleading.

The RCC verdict has not yet been published on its website.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation