EasyJet's greenwash ads subject to complaint to the regulator

Cover of the Times Earth supplement in association with easJeyt (22 July 2021)

On July 22nd, shortly after the Met Office issued its first hot weather warning in the UK, the Times Earth edition published a 12-page supplement on the future of transport in the age of climate breakdown titled "Fast forward. How climate change is shaping the future of transport”. Superficially, it might appear to raise no cause for concern. But on closer inspection, above the main headline, easyJet’s familiar orange logo can be seen with the statement that the supplement is published “in association” with the airline. Over a total of 12 pages, the supplement contains three easyJet adverts (two full-size pages and one half-size) boasting about the company’s green credentials. 

The placing of adverts featuring easyJet's green claims in the supplement carries a message to readers: 'we're addressing your climate concerns, our technology will save the day, you can carry on flying.' Given the scale and speed of emissions reductions needed, these messages can be highly misleading and inaccurate.

The campaign group Adfree Cities has filed a complaint to the advertising regulator (Advertising Standards Authority) against easyJet’s “zero emissions” adverts which were posted on billboards across London (see below). 

EasyJet’s “destination zero emissions” ad seen in London

“Zero emissions flights”: airlines’ new greenwash 

Governments’ net zero pledges have rung the alarm bell among high polluting companies that it is time for them to show how serious they are being with their climate pledges. Up to this point, the aviation industry has vigorously avoided proper inclusion in meaningful plans to address the climate and ecological emergency, promoting cheap flights to far-away destinations and short breaks to cities across the world, while lobbying against climate policies. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought much of the industry to a halt, damaging companies’ finances (despite still receiving billions of euros in bailout money from Governments with no environmental conditions attached). With travel restrictions being gradually lifted across countries around the world, and public concern about the climate crisis rising, airlines are exploiting the moment to embark on  “green makeover” campaigns, promising “zero emissions flights”, with the aim to boost sales and get ready for a flying (re)start.

The Times Earth supplement dedicates an entire page to the new technology of hydrogen-powered flights. ZeroAvia, the British-American company pioneering the technology, is planning to build 100-200 passenger capacity aircrafts to fly across Europe within a decade thereby servicing the “mass-market leisure flights” operated by the likes of  easyJet or RyanAir.

But, apart from the technologically dubious potential for a “green revolution” in airline flights, it doesn’t take away the fact that the volume of flights needs to be drastically reduced right now in order to limit carbon emissions and meet the target of staying below 1.5 degree warming. Also an important point to note here is the absence of consideration about where the hydrogen would be sourced from. If so-called green, hydrogen is sourced from water and electricity (based upon a process called electrolysis). But this technology is very expensive and poses difficulties for scaling-up. Its alternative, blue hydrogen, relies upon fossil gas which contradicts its “zero emissions” potential and thus serves fossil companies’ interests. 

But airlines’ attention to detail when it comes to their sustainability claims isn’t exactly at the top of their concerns, let alone their ability to keep their  promises. Back in 2018, as the supplement reports, easyJet initially announced it would be operating full-size battery electric planes by the end of the 2020s. Given the unlikelihood of that happening, the company shifted to an approach backing the development of electric-powered short-haul flights by the mid 2030s, while boasting about its carbon offsetting scheme in the meantime.

This is deceptive advertising from easyJet, concerned to appeal to a newly climate-conscious audience, while supporting the future deployment of so-called “zero emission flights”. Carbon offsetting is airlines’ most promising get-out-of jail-free-card. 

But the latest research on the subject reveals how carbon offsetting schemes promoted by the likes of easyJet or British Airways are based on shaky foundations that don't match up to the environmental claims made by the airlines. Of particular concern are the companies’ claims that their offsetting schemes are targeting areas where deforestation occurs, which turned out to be false information following an investigation. But more importantly, due to the time-lag between the reforestation projects - which span over decades - and the emissions released into the atmosphere at the time of flying, it discredits the overall effectiveness of these schemes in offsetting carbon emissions. Also, forests planted as the basis for offset schemes have been seen to burn down in our heating climate, releasing their carbon back into the atmosphere.

Despite its misleading (or perhaps deliberately provocative) title (“Feeling guilty about flying? There’s an offset scheme for that”), the supplement article on carbon offsetting is in fact more objective and critical of the approach. But with easyJet’s adverts plastered all over the pamphlet promoting its own carbon offsetting measures, it puts seriously into question the article’s journalistic credibility.

Advertorial: new forms of pervasive advertising

Advertising is increasingly becoming a main source of revenue for printed newspapers who struggle to compete with online media. But these types of partnerships - so-called “advertorials” (an advertisement in the form of editorial content) - are far more insidious than traditional advertising. Even if journalists try to assert their editorial independence from advertisers' influence, newspapers know there is only so far they can go in their criticisms of a sponsoring industry - before that advertising money is withdrawn.

At first glance, The Times Earth’s piece appears well-researched and fact-checked but easyJet’s name features on several occasions and an entire paragraph is dedicated to the company’s green flights promotion:

“EasyJet, a company almost entirely reliant on short hops, has partnered with Wright Electric which is hoping to have passenger planes in the air by 2030. If batteries could replace even a portion of flights, the carbon gains could be significant.”

What is not mentioned however is that a reduction in flight numbers would be far more effective for achieving significant carbon gains. Instead easyJet and the airline industry actively plan to grow their flight numbers (and their profits).

The campaigning group Reclame Fossielvrij similarly reported about the issue of recurring paid branded content by fossil giant Shell in the Dutch newspaper NRC.

With high-carbon companies feeling the heat on the “race to net zero emissions”, we can only expect more examples of greenwash advertising content disguised as objective,  fact-checked information.

The greenwash must end - it’s time to put a stop on high-carbon advertising.