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Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Law, regulation and treaties · United Kingdom · 2023

UK Advertising Standards Authority upholds complaint about Lufthansa "Fly more sustainably" Google ad (6 December 2023)

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
Things were done in my name here. No one has measured what reached me.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
In my name
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 not measured See the gaps

On 6 December 2023 the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled that a Lufthansa paid Google ad with the claim "Fly more sustainably" (A23-1206007) gave a misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact because the basis of the claim was not made clear.

Ad must not appear againUK ASA ruling on Lufthansa "Fly more sustainably"
Ruling of 6 December 2023, reference A23-1206007. The ruling page records no fine.

Status As of October 2026: the ASA ruled on 6 December 2023 that the Lufthansa ad must not appear again in the form complained about; the ruling page records no fine.

What?
The ASA upheld a complaint about a Lufthansa Google ad with the callout "Fly more sustainably". Advertising Standards Authority (UK)
Where?
United Kingdom (advertising regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority). Advertising Standards Authority (UK)
When?
Ruling of 6 December 2023; ad seen July 2023. Advertising Standards Authority (UK)
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The basis of the claim "Fly more sustainably" was not made clear in the ad, although limited space in a search ad did not justify omitting material information. Advertising Standards Authority (UK)
How?
A ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority under the CAP Code; the ad must not appear again in the form complained about. No fine is recorded. Advertising Standards Authority (UK)
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

On 6 December 2023 the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled on a paid Google ad for Lufthansa seen in July 2023 (A23-1206007). The ad read "Fly now with Lufthansa" and included the callout "Fly more sustainably". The ruling records that the ad was identified through the ASA's Active Ad Monitoring system.

Lufthansa told the ASA that the claim referred to its Green Fares option on European flights, which uses sustainable aviation fuel for 20% of the flight's CO2 emissions and offsets the remaining 80% through climate projects. The ASA considered that consumers would understand the claim to mean that Lufthansa offered a way to travel by air with a lower environmental impact than alternative airlines, and that the basis of the claim "had not been made clear in the ad".

The ASA concluded that "the ad gave a misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact" (CAP Code rules 3.1, 11.1 and 11.3). The ruling states: "The ad must not appear again in the form complained about." Lufthansa had told the ASA it had instructed its agency to remove the sentence "Fly more sustainably" from future ads.

  1. 2023ASA rules on Lufthansa Google ad "Fly more sustainably" (A23-1206007): misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact; the ad must not appear again in the form complained about (6 December)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“the ad gave a misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact”

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

Recorded

  • The ASA upheld the complaint: the basis of the claim "Fly more sustainably" was not made clear in the ad, and the ad gave a misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact (A23-1206007).
    Advertising Standards Authority (UK)

In nature's name

What was promised in nature's name, the money that moved, and what was measured.

Promised

What was measured

Not measured

The case concerns an advertising claim. The ASA ruling records no independent measurement of any benefit to nature from the advertised product or business.

Findings on record

  • Court or regulator ruling Advertising Standards Authority (UK) (2023-12-06) · A23-1206007: “the ad gave a misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact” Advertising Standards Authority (UK)

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2023-12-06Claimant won
    ASA ruling on Lufthansa "Fly more sustainably" Google ad
    Advertising Standards Authority (UK) · Regulatory · Not named in the ruling (identified through ASA Active Ad Monitoring) → Deutsche Lufthansa AG t/a Lufthansa

    Upheld: the basis of "Fly more sustainably" was not made clear and the ad gave a misleading impression of Lufthansa's environmental impact (CAP Code rules 3.1, 11.1, 11.3). The ad must not appear again in the form complained about. Reference A23-1206007. Advertising Standards Authority (UK)

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

Record

  • None on record The ruling page does not name a complainant: it states that the ad was identified through the ASA's Active Ad Monitoring system.
  • None on record The ruling page records no fine and does not state whether any appeal followed.

Did the harm stop?

The ASA required that the ad must not appear again in the form complained about; Lufthansa had instructed its agency to remove the sentence "Fly more sustainably" from future ads. The ruling page does not state whether any environmental measure was affected.

Who paid?

The ruling page records no fine or payment.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

Government and regulators

  1. ASA Ruling on Deutsche Lufthansa AG t/a Lufthansa (A23-1206007)
    Advertising Standards Authority (UK) · 2023-12-06

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Carbon and conservation finance

Offset
Using carbon credits to balance emissions released elsewhere, so that a buyer can claim lower or zero net emissions.
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