After environmentalists complained about Innocent’s advertisement, the Advertising Standards Authority banned it.
The television ad shows a man and an otter friend who discover their boat is hijacked. They are approached by large waterfalls by revellers. They sing about how they have messed up the planet and end up hanging from a cliff edge. They then row back to safety and clear out the rubbish. Then they start making Innocent smoothies with the apples from a tree.
The brand, well-known for its wackiness and majority owned by Coca-Cola has been working to improve its climate credentials.
Plastics Rebellion, along with other complainants, argued the ad implied that smoothies made from disposable plastic bottles were good news for the environment.
Innocent replied that it was a B Corp. This certification was granted by B Lab to companies that demonstrate high social and environmental performance. Innocent claimed that it had taken a pledge to become carbon neutral by 2030. It also opened a carbon-neutral facility that uses renewable energy and has a water-saving system that reduces water consumption by 75%.
It stated that it was not trying show that smoothies are good to the environment and was instead urging customers to take action to protect the planet.
The ASA ruled for the complainants. It concluded that the Innocents advertisement drew a strong connection between the drinks, and had a positive effect on the environment.
The ruling states that many consumers would take the overall presentation of the Innocent ad to indicate that buying Innocent products would have a positive effect on the environment. Officials wanted proof that this claim was true, and were not satisfied with the response.
The ASA stated: While we acknowledge that Innocent was taking actions to reduce the environmental impact of their products, it did not prove that their products had a net negative environmental impact over their entire life cycles. We also noted that their drinks bottles were made from non-recycled materials and that the extraction of the raw materials and subsequent processing would have a negative environmental impact.
Innocent is no longer allowed to use the advertisement in its current form or make claims about the supposed environmental benefits of its products, without providing evidence.
Plastics Rebellion spokesperson said: You cannot be a major contributor in a global health emergency and claim that you are fixing up the planet. Innocent people are lying about the dangers of plastics to human health and the environment. They also trivialize its severity by repeating the mantra reduce reuse recycle. They are guilty of trivializing the plastic crisis and sweeping it under the rug.
Innocent’s spokesperson said that they were disappointed by the ASA’s decision. Our advertisement was intended to highlight important global environmental issues as well as the need for collective action to address them. Our website provides more information about our sustainability work. We would like to work with other brands and the ASA to find ways to align with them in order to continue the conversation about these important topics.
