Gas billboard claiming to be ‘cleaner’ and ‘greener’ pulled by watchdog for misleading consumers

A billboard for Australian Gas Networks (AGN) has been pulled by the advertising industry’s watchdog Ad Standards for making misleading claims about the environmental impact of using gas, based on ‘the overall impression an average consumer’ would have of the advertisement.

The billboard depicted a man holding a tray of lasagne, accompanied by the words “Greener than anything you’re cooking tonight. Love Cleaner Energy, Love Natural Gas”.

The complainant said the ad was false and claimed that the extraction of gas and “the fugitive emission make it comparable to coal as a source of greenhouse gases”. The complainant provided an article from The Guardian to back the point, which reported on research that found that gas and oil had more severe impacts on the environment than previously believed.