A magazine advert that endorsed the sustainability of palm oil has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for making unsubstantiated and untruthful claims.
The advert, produced by the Malaysia Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and entitled 'Palm Oil: The Green Answer' addresses the criticisms levelled at the palm oil industry, including deforestation and unfair treatment of farmers and indigenous peoples.
It states: ‘These allegations – protectionist agendas hidden under a thin veneer of environmental concern – are based neither on scientific evidence, nor, for that matter, on fact.’
In banning the ad, the ASA said: 'We considered that, in conjunction with claims such as "puts minimal strain on the environment", readers would infer from the claim that palm oil was sustainable and would not have an adverse effect on the environment.'
This is the second MPOC advertisement that has been banned by the ASA. The first was a television advert banned in its current form for similar reasons.
According to the Adjudication record of the advert on the ASA website, it 'misleadingly [implied] that palm oil plantations were as biodiverse and [sustainable] as the native rainforests they replaced.'
Useful links
ASA ruling
| READ MORE... | |
 |
NEWS Major retailers ranked on sustainable palm oil Tesco and Waitrose lagging behind on sustainable sourcing of world's most traded edible oil, found in wide range of everyday products from cakes and cosmetics |
 |
NEWS Sustainable palm oil usage at unsatisfactory levels Land victory will allow Borneo’s indian tribes to fight palm oil industries, although use of sustainable palm oil sits at a mere one per cent. |
|
NEWS Global palm oil demand linked to human rights abuses Growing demand for palm oil is resulting in wide spread human rights abuses in Indonesia, claims a new report. |
|
NEWS World Bank breaks rules in lending to palm oil companies Campaign groups call for a suspension on lending to palm oil plantation developers after critical internal audit |
 |
NEWS Biofuels rather than electric cars to meet renewables target Industry research says biofuels, not electric cars or biogas likely to make up majority of renewable transport targets but admits some will need to be imported |
