Green claims in thousands of Australian advertisements have been found to be “vague, meaningless or unsubstantiated”.
A study of 8,963 ads, observed more than 20,000 times in people’s Facebook feeds, finds that consumers are potentially being deceived.
Making unsubstantiated green claims has emerged as a major issue in advertising with competition regulator the ACCC in a greenwashing crackdown.
And the peak body for advertisers, the AANA (Australian Association of National Advertisers), is conducting a review of its environmental claims code to ensure community concerns are reflected in advertising.
Christine Parker, a professor of law at Melbourne University, says the widespread use of green claims identified in the latest study could delay important action on tackling climate change, as it dilutes the sense of urgency around the issue.
The research is part of a project produced by the not-for-profit Consumer Policy Research Centre, researchers at Melbourne Law School and the Australian Ad Observatory, a project of ADM+S (ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society).
The most common claims found in the study were “clean”, “green” and “sustainable”. Others include “bio”, “recycled” or “recyclable”, “pure” and “eco-friendly”.
“All are very general, undefined terms, yet they imply a more environmentally responsible choice,” writes Parker.
And the study says emojis in social media advertising can exaggerate an environmental claim that may otherwise not exist.
“The report does not intend to verify each of the claims nor analyse the accuracy of the claims,” the report says. “It is intended to highlight the volume and breadth of green claims that consumers experience through social media.”
However, the report says it is clear that environmental terminology has no common meaning.
Similar terms are used in a variety of ways. The same environmental term is used differently by multiple businesses with different meanings. Some social media ads provide succinct details to support an environmental claim, while in other ads it is difficult
The study says some high-polluting sectors and businesses should be prohibited from advertising any form of environmental claim since their business models and practices arguably contradict positive environmental contributions.
“Australians deserve to see environmental claims they can trust, which can help them make meaningful choices towards better environmental outcomes, and it starts with advertising that is meaningful and evidence-based,” says the report.
The report is a collaboration between researchers from the University of Melbourne and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) nodes of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) and the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC).
From the report:
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.