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Opinion — We need to ground airlines for greenwashing
A series of airline adverts have been banned for false sustainability claims. It’s a promising step in the right direction.
When it comes to pointing global warming’s finger of blame, airlines tend to be first on the receiving end.
But having long been criticised for its significant carbon footprint (which accounted for 2% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022), the aviation industry has attempted to rebrand itself as eco-friendly.
To varying degrees of success, millions has been poured into marketing campaigns that tout sustainability initiatives and shiny statistics. But these are often mere lip service.
Unsurprisingly, airlines are rarely held to account, largely because of how heavily we rely on them. And after COVID-19 restrictions halted tourism, the number of us hopping on board a flight is only rising.
This week, however, the BBC reported that adverts for major aviation companies Air France, Lufthansa, and Etihad had been banned for misleading consumers about their environmental impact.
