Companies reported to still be using misleading claims despite ‘misleading’ rulings
Tuesday 17th June 2025
On 14 May 2025, Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative journalism unit, produced a report that Virgin Atlantic, Renault and Aqua Pura are amongst 44 companies that continued to publish misleading claims despite being told by the Advertising Standards Authority (AS) that they must not do so.
The ASA ruled against Virgin in 2024 for using “100% sustainable aviation fuel” in an advert, saying it was likely to lead a “significant proportion” of people to “overestimate” the environmental benefits of the fuel. In 2023, the ASA ruled against Renault for stating its hybrid cars offered “up to 80% electric driving” but adverts were still seen on Facebook and YouTube in 2024. In 2022, the ASA told Aqua Pura to stop claiming that plastic bottle lids were “eco-friendly”.
An ASA spokesperson said the regulator would carefully assess the ad claims Unearthed had brought to its attention and it would “consider each case on its merits”.