Environmental Claims Code Breached by SA Bus Adverts
A South Australian transport department has been accused of misleading the public over its bus adverts touting natural gas as "clean and green". The state's Department for Transport and Infrastructure had run ads on buses since the early 2000s, claiming that compressed natural gas was a more environmentally friendly alternative to diesel. However, a regulator has now ruled that these claims were false and misleading.
Compressed natural gas is mostly composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. Despite this, the transport department had argued that CNG offered a 13% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel. But environmental groups argue that even this small advantage was short-lived and did not outweigh the overall impact of methane's contribution to climate change.
The regulator found that the transport department breached three sections of its environmental claims code, including one for claiming gas was "misleading and unsubstantiated". The Ad Standards panel also stated that the claim was vague and did not convey a genuine environmental benefit. With the emergence of cleaner electric, hydrogen and hybrid alternatives, CNG buses are no longer seen as the most environmentally friendly option.
In response to an investigation, the transport department has agreed to remove adverts from a small number of Adelaide Metro buses. The decision comes after multiple studies have found that CNG buses produce roughly similar amounts of greenhouse gas emissions as diesel buses. It is also worth noting that Adelaide Metro is currently replacing its bus fleet with electric vehicles, which are described as "better for the environment".
The outcome highlights the importance of transparency and accuracy in environmental advertising. As one of the leaders in this space, Australian transport departments have a responsibility to set accurate standards for the public.
A South Australian transport department has been accused of misleading the public over its bus adverts touting natural gas as "clean and green". The state's Department for Transport and Infrastructure had run ads on buses since the early 2000s, claiming that compressed natural gas was a more environmentally friendly alternative to diesel. However, a regulator has now ruled that these claims were false and misleading.
Compressed natural gas is mostly composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. Despite this, the transport department had argued that CNG offered a 13% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel. But environmental groups argue that even this small advantage was short-lived and did not outweigh the overall impact of methane's contribution to climate change.
The regulator found that the transport department breached three sections of its environmental claims code, including one for claiming gas was "misleading and unsubstantiated". The Ad Standards panel also stated that the claim was vague and did not convey a genuine environmental benefit. With the emergence of cleaner electric, hydrogen and hybrid alternatives, CNG buses are no longer seen as the most environmentally friendly option.
In response to an investigation, the transport department has agreed to remove adverts from a small number of Adelaide Metro buses. The decision comes after multiple studies have found that CNG buses produce roughly similar amounts of greenhouse gas emissions as diesel buses. It is also worth noting that Adelaide Metro is currently replacing its bus fleet with electric vehicles, which are described as "better for the environment".
The outcome highlights the importance of transparency and accuracy in environmental advertising. As one of the leaders in this space, Australian transport departments have a responsibility to set accurate standards for the public.
This is crazy! I was thinking CNG was a cleaner option but now I'm not so sure 
. Methane is super bad for the environment and I don't think it's fair that they were misleading people about its benefits 
. The transport department should have known better than to make claims like that 
. And with electric buses coming in, this just highlights how important it is to keep up with technology and switch to cleaner alternatives 
. Can we trust the advertising claims from our transport departments anymore? 
at least they're takin action right?? anyway i feel 4 the transport dept tho cuz who knows what all the fine print said n stuff 
. Natural gas might be better than diesel in some ways, but let's not forget it's still methane, which is a major contributor to climate change 
. The transport department was trying to give itself a clean conscience by claiming CNG was the way to go, when really it's just a band-aid solution for a bigger problem 
. Now that cleaner alternatives like electric and hybrid buses are becoming more popular, I hope they're the ones taking the spotlight 
. It's about time we stop sugarcoating things and start telling it like it is 
. I remember seeing those same ads back in the day and now I'm like "wait what?". Compressed natural gas is basically just a fancy word for methane, which is pretty bad news when it comes to climate change. It's crazy that they thought 13% was enough of an advantage to make CNG buses seem environmentally friendly 
.
.
, I'm so frustrated with this! I remember when our school's environmental club started promoting CNG buses as an eco-friendly option, but now it seems like they were just trying to sound good 
I guess this is a good reminder for us to be more critical of what we consume and believe. We need to stay informed and fact-check stuff before we get on board with it 
. Think about it, natural gas is still a fossil fuel, which means it's gonna release some bad stuff into the air 
. And don't even get me started on methane being super bad for climate change 
. It's crazy that they were trying to make CNG sound like the most eco-friendly option all these years ago 
.
. And I'm sure this whole incident will help us learn more about what really matters when it comes to green transportation 
.
!
. I mean, everyone knows methane is bad news for the environment, so why didn't they fact-check it first? It's not like it's a new technology or anything. They should've known better than to use misleading ads.