Blow to airlines’ environmental claims with ban on Virgin Atlantic’s first transatlantic sustainable aviation fuel advert | Business News

An advert for the world’s first transatlantic flight 100% powered by so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been banned as the advertising watchdog said it was misleading.

The radio advertisement, which promoted the transatlantic flightwas misleading in its unqualified claim of “100% sustainable aviation fuel”, said the regulator, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

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Future Atlantic Virgin Advertisements that reference SAF must include information that explains the environmental impact of the fuel, the ASA added.

The decision affects airlines’ ability to promote a key element of their emissions reduction targets.

What did the ad say?

First aired in November, the ad informed listeners about the first long-haul commercial aircraft crossing the Atlantic using 100% SAF, composed of sugar from industrial corn starch and animal fats unfit for human consumption.

“On November 28, Virgin Atlantic Flight 100 will take to the skies on our unique London Heathrow to JFK mission to become the world’s first commercial airline to fly transatlantic on 100% sustainable aviation fuel,” it said. the announcement.

“When they said it was very difficult, we said: ‘challenge accepted’. Virgin Atlantic Flight 100. See the world differently.”

No commercial passengers were on board for the trip. Previously, airlines could only use fossil fuels and up to 50% SAF to power their flights.

What was the problem?

A significant proportion of listeners would understand that “100% sustainable jet fuel” meant that the fuel used was 100% sustainable, but this was not the case. Some could be led to believe there were no negative environmental impacts, the ASA said.

In fact, Virgin Atlantic confirmed to the ASA that sustainable jet fuel produced the same level of in-flight CO2 emissions as traditional jet fuel.

Although the SAF production cycle produces less carbon than normal aviation fuel, emissions created during the flight are still “significant”, the ASA said.

And SAF production may still have broader environmental costs and tradeoffs, the agency added.

“Because of this, it is important that sustainable aviation fuel claims clarify what the reality is, so that consumers are not misled into thinking that the flight they are taking is more environmentally friendly than it really is,” said the director of ASA complaints and investigations, Miles. Lockwood.

Notice to advertisers

The watchdog has issued a warning to companies looking to promote their climate mitigation or environmentally friendly measures, saying it expects any claims to be supported.

Companies “need to exercise caution” when using statements like “100% sustainable” or “sustainable” when advertising products and services, Lockwood said.

“Claiming that a product or service is sustainable creates the impression that it is not causing harm to the environment and so we expect to see robust evidence that this is the case.”

Response from Virgin Atlantic

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “We are committed to achieving net zero by 2050 and key to this will be the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is one of the most immediate levers for the decarbonisation of long-haul aviation. course.

“SAF is a term used globally by industry and government for alternative fossil aviation fuels that adhere to specific sustainability criteria.

“While we are disappointed that the ASA ruled in favor of a small number of complaints, we remain committed to open, accurate and transparent engagement in the decarbonisation challenge.”