South Australia Transport misled the public by placing advertisements on buses that claimed “natural gas” was “clean and environmentally friendly”, an advertising regulator has found.
SA's Department of Transport and Infrastructure has agreed to remove advertising that has been on some Adelaide metro buses since the early 2000s following the adoption of advertising standards. upheld the complaint from the non-profit organization Comms Declare.
The advertisements appeared on the sides of buses powered by “compressed natural gas,” or CNG. In its complaint, Comms Declare said the description of the gas as clean and green was false and misleading because it suggested the fuel had a neutral or positive impact on the environment and was less harmful than alternatives.
It says the gas is actually mostly methane, a short-lived but powerful fossil fuel.
The Advertising Standards Commission agreed that the advert breached three sections of the environmental code. It says the claim is “misleading and unsubstantiated, vague and has no real environmental benefit.”
The group said compressed natural gas buses were originally introduced to provide more environmentally responsible transport than diesel buses, but transport solutions have changed significantly over the past 20 years to include cleaner electric, hydrogen and hybrid alternatives.
Comms Declare said numerous studies carried out around the world have shown that CNG buses emit approximately the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as diesel buses. He stressed that Adelaide Metro was is currently replacing its bus fleet with electric vehicles he called “better for the environment.”
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Comms Declare founder Belinda Noble said the decision was “another warning to any advertisers who want to make claims that gas products are good for the environment.” She said it followed similar decisions against Hancock Intelligence and advertising for Australian gas networks.
“Methane creates toxic pollution at all stages of its production and use and is a leading cause of global warming,” Noble said.
Advertising Standards stated that the Department of Transport and Infrastructure “have reviewed the solution and will take appropriate action to resolve the issue in the near future.”
A department spokesman said it had been directed by the Advertising Standards Commission to remove the messages from a “small number” of Adelaide Metro buses.
The spokesman claimed that at the time of purchase, CNG was a “cleaner alternative to diesel”, offering a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 13% and “significant reductions in harmful emissions” of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and particulate matter.
