Wednesday 7th November 2007

Shell Not Smelling Of Roses

Shell flower growing claim ruled misleading

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Shell's flower power claims 'misleading'

Oil giant Shell misled the public with an ad campaign claiming it used its ‘waste CO2 to grow flowers’, the Advertising Standards Authority has found.

Shell's advert depicted the outline of an oil refinery emitting flowers rather than smoke and claimed that Shell uses its 'waste CO2 to grow flowers and waste sulphur to make super strong concrete.'

The ASA found that although Shell had used some of its CO2 to grow flowers it was only a very small amount.

The advert would lead most readers to interpret the claim as all or at least most of the waste CO2 in that way, it said.

Hannah Griffiths, Friends of the Earth's Corporates Campaigner, said: 'We're delighted that Shell has been brought to book for its misleading claims.

'Companies making false green claims do nothing but make the situation worse as they try to pull the wool over people's eyes and lull them into a false sense of security. It's a shame that the ASA does not have more teeth and that Shell wasn't fined for its deceptions.'

The ASA said the ad was no longer running and Shell had given its assurance it would not be used in the future.

[toys]

Surely all CO2 helps to grow flowers (and all other plant life)...? The more of it we emit the more lovely Plant Food Gas!

A serious question - do plants actually thrive in a CO2 rich environment?

[chickensoup]

Making concrete has to be the least "green" thing possible - how does that save the planet

[jaik]

It's such a shame the law doesn't take common sense into account.

[Alric]

Global Warming and C02 has to be the most boring subject in the world..... Everyone I speak to is sick of it. Tree huggers and V8 lovers, stop talking about it, its boring!!

[ScoobieWRX]

You can actually grow plants in a purely carbon dioxide environment but you need to have a strong source of Nitrogen as well. If the atmosphere was initially only Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen, as it once was many millions of years ago there would be plenty of plant life. But in turn plants create waste oxygen which keeps us alive so you really can't have one without the other.

Life's natural carbon Dioxide scrubbers!! So why are governments going on about CO2 emissions so much!! Well...they need another excuse to keep charging us more taxes don't they!!

Edited by ScoobieWRX on Wednesday 7th November 15:06

[flattotheboards]

they should be fined imo because they knew exactly what they were saying.

[morgrp]

If C02 emissions help grow flowers then my 88' Merc Cosworth isn't the planet wrecking monster I first thought!!! - It kicks out shed loads of the stuff!