South Africa’s advertising regulatory body rules that TotalEnergies’ claim that it promotes sustainable development was “misleading.” The regulator’s decision on what it termed “corporate greenwashing” appears to be one of multiple rulings on the case.
The country’s Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) adjudged a TotalEnergies campaign with South Africa’s conservation authority (Sanparks) as “corporate greenwashing.” The energy giant made claims to promote sustainable development in the bid to encourage others to visit the country’s national parks.
During its #FuelYourExperience campaign, TotalEnergies claimed it is “committed to sustainable development and environmental protection.” “That’s why we have partnered with Sanparks for over 60 years so that South Africans can appreciate our country’s national heritage and pass on a love for the environment to their children,” the campaign read.
According to the ARB’s ruling, the claim was misleading and could suggest that it practices “sustainable development” across all the company’s activities. The board explained it had “no evidence that there is a link between the support of Sanparks and any definition of sustainable development.”
Reports claim that an “environmental complaint” against the French energy giant’s South African marketing department by the Fossil Free SA association led to the ruling.
Historic Ruling May Birth Subsequent “Greenwashing” Complaints
While the ARB does not have a “greenwashing” category in its guiding code of practice, this complaint marked the first of its kind. However, the event may open the path for similar complaints about environmental issues in the country’s energy sector.
The ARB ruled that while many TotalEnergies projects intentionally promote sustainability, there is “no doubt that the core business of the advertiser is directly opposed to the issue of sustainable development.”
It highlighted the ongoing exploitation of fossil fuels within South Africa as a contradiction to the claims. Furthermore, the ARB said that TotalEnergies was a fuel company with hmm “environmentally unfriendly aspects to its business.”
TotalEnergies has shown no signs of appealing the ruling, according to the advertising board’s chief executive officer Gail Schimmel, The ARB, however, maintains that the energy producer has the right to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, the regulatory body suggests that there may be further regulatory verdicts on TotalEnergies’ actions.
