<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/23/etihad-accused-of-misleading-customers-with-greenwashing-in-net-zero-ads>
"Etihad has been accused of misleading customers through advertising that
spruiked its emissions reductions plans, with Australia’s consumer watchdog now
considering action against the airline amid its crackdown on greenwashing.
Aviation emissions advocacy group Flight Free Australia alleged in the
complaint that two Etihad advertisements that appeared on digital advertising
banners during an A-League football match between Melbourne City and Adelaide
United at Melbourne’s AAMI Park on 15 February last year were false or
misleading.
Etihad advertised the words “net zero emissions by 2050” next to its logo, and
in another ad, claimed “Flying shouldn’t cost the Earth.”
Flight Free Australia claims the ads convey the false or misleading impression
that flying with Etihad does not have a significant environmental impact, that
Etihad intends to achieve net zero by 2050 and that it has plans and reasonable
grounds for expecting it will reach the target.
While the complaint lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) on Wednesday relates to the two ads, Flight Free Australia
said Etihad had made similar statements many times on different platforms.
The group argued Etihad had no credible path to net zero emissions by 2050. It
said it was not “technologically, practically, or economically feasible” to
reach net zero via current aviation emissions reduction initiatives, and that
marketing services as such undermined market integrity and compromised efforts
to limit global warming.
In its complaint, Flight Free Australia contended that Etihad’s sustainability
claims of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 are unmodelled and rely heavily
on speculative technology, carbon credit and offset programs.
“Etihad in fact intends to increase its absolute CO2 emissions,” the group
argued, noting Etihad’s own sustainability report forecasts an increase in
carbon dioxide emissions to 2026. It also said Etihad had significantly
understated its emissions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
