In August 2021, the Dutch advertising authority (Reclame Code Commissie, RCC) ruled against Shell after a complaint lodged by the climate law clinic. Under the slogan “Make the difference. Drive CO2 neutral”, Shell had claimed that consumers could “offset” the CO2 emissions caused by its gasoline with an additional payment of 1 cent per liter. The RCC found that Shell had failed to provide the necessary scientific evidence to substantiate its claims, and therefore misled consumers. In response, Shell did not withdraw its unfounded marketing claims. Instead, it merely changed the marketing slogan from “Drive CO2 neutral” to “Compensate your emissions.” As the new slogan is, in essence, identical to the old one, a follow-up complaint was lodged. In June 2022, the RCC decided again against Shell, ruling that the new slogan is also misleading to consumers.
The successful claim found its way in the news!