Description:
A TV ad for a food delivery service highlighted features of their meal kits, including saving the planet.
Complaint:
The complainant alleged that the advertisement was misleading for claiming to “save the planet” while promoting meat and seafood meal kits, which the complainant argued contribute to environmental harm.
Response:
The advertiser responded that the company was B Corporation certified, which means that they met various environmental standards, including a commitment to sustainability. The advertiser’s position was that that fact that environmental responsibility is a central part of their operation substantiated the claim “saving the planet”.
Decision:
Council considered the complaint together with the advertiser’s response.
Council members considered the claim to be vague and misleading. While some Council members questioned whether a claim of this nature could ever be substantiated, they found that it conveyed the impression that the company was taking meaningful action for the environment. They concluded that being a B Corporation-certified company was not sufficient to support the broad claim and that the context of the ad did not provide any additional support or substantiation.
In light of the most recent updates to the Competition Bureau’s guidelines on Environmental claims and greenwashing, Council acknowledged the need for caution when making environmental claims. Specifically, care must be taken to avoid vague claims that may give consumers the impression that the environmental benefit is more extensive or meaningful than it actually is.
For these reasons, Council members unanimously found that the claim “save the planet” was misleading, in contravention of Clause 1(a) of the Code. A majority of Council members also found that the advertiser did not provide competent and reliable evidence to support the claim, therefore also contravening Clause 1(e) of the Code.
Infraction:
Clause 1(a) and Clause 1(e)
