A new ad for oil company Shell is drawing the ire of many people in the U.K. over accusations of greenwashing.
According to Adweek, more than 70 people have filed formal complaints against Shell and advertising agency Havas to the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority. They argue the company's ad gives a "misleading impression of Shell's environmental impact," per the news outlet.
The ad, created by the agency VML but promoted by Havas, talks about how Shell is focusing on investing in people and communities to help with the transition to green energy, as well as installing electric vehicle charging ports and bringing natural gas to people's homes.
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The only mention of the fact that Shell's primary revenue driver is oil and gas comes in a small-print disclaimer that notes 68 percent of the company's global investments in 2023 were in those dirty forms of energy, while only 23 percent included "low-carbon energy solutions."
In fact, in recent years Shell has increased its spending on oil and gas while leveling off or reducing its share of spending devoted to green energy solutions. On top of that, it has weakened its target to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 from 20% to 15-20%.
A Havas employee was less than thrilled with the ad, according to Adweek.
"It is embarrassing that Havas have been unable to make a 'meaningful difference,'" the employee said. "VML will take the heat, but [in my opinion, Havas Media is] complicit."
Shell isn't the only oil company pulling back on its climate pledges; BP caught criticism for pledging to focus "first and foremost" on oil and gas. Meanwhile, Shell's philanthropic arm in the U.S. was also found to be donating to the conservative developers of Project 2025, which tends to tilt toward anti-environmental positions.
If the complaints are deemed legitimate by the advertising authority, Shell could be ordered to pull the ad and banned from airing it in its current form, according to Adweek. For its part, Shell has denied any wrongdoing.
"When creating this campaign we engaged closely with the advertising regulator," a spokesperson for Shell said, per Adweek. "The advert shows the various ways Shell UK is powering progress in the UK, from supplying crucial gas to help secure the energy people rely on today to installing thousands of Shell electric vehicle chargers and investing in jobs and skills to support the energy transition. We stand by the content in this advert and will continue to be clear on this as we engage with the ASA."
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