Greenwash: Recent ASA rulings – our advice for marketers & business leaders

From time to time, Content Coms shares updated guidance to help marketing teams stay on the right side of greenwash regulations. 

It’s easy for organisations to fall foul of the rules – and, when they do it can attract big headlines. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)’s AI-powered Active Ad Monitoring System is now proactively scanning ads, social media and website copy across key sectors, with a target of 50,000 ads reviewed in 2025.

Our message is simple: even reputable businesses are slipping up.

For anyone in energy, clean tech, or sustainable products and services, it’s a sharp reminder: double check every cost and carbon-saving claim.

E X A M P L E S 

We wanted to flag two recent ASA greenwash rulings that are particularly relevant to our energy and clean-tech clients:

A renewable energy provider ran a social media advert which said:

“You can save up to £1,341 in bills”.

The caption stated: 

“Did you know low-carbon homes can save over £1000 a year in bills? According to research […] homes with improvements such as solar panels, a battery, insulation and a heat pump cost less to run […]”.

The ASA ruled that this was misleading. Here’s why:

• The “such as” implied that any home with even ONE low-carbon upgrade (like solar or insulation) could achieve those savings

• The “up to” implied that a significant proportion of consumers would achieve this.

• In reality, the research this company relied on as evidence (although solid) was based on new build homes with multiple low-carbon technologies combined (solar panels, a heat pump, battery, ventilation system, airtightness improvements, etc.)

• The ad also didn’t explain what type of home would achieve those savings (e.g. a three bedroom home).

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A leading solar panel installation business ran a regional press ad which featured an image of a building with solar panels on its roof.

The headline stated:

“Why 2025 is the Perfect Time to Go Solar”.

The ad included text that stated:

 “Drastically Reduced Bills: Generating your own electricity significantly reduces dependency on the grid, insulating you from rising costs”. 

The ASA ruled that not ALL consumers would achieve “drastically reduced bills” and therefore the ad was misleading and must not be published again. You can read more on the ruling on the ASA’s website. 

• The ASA ruled this ad was misleading because there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the claim that bills would be “drastically reduced”.

• This company provided a research report as evidence, which showed savings achieved by different properties. However, the rate of savings varied according to factors like property type, location, solar panel package, etc. 

What can we learn?

These kinds of ASA Rulings can generate big press coverage.

Our view is that neither company set out to mislead its customers. But, it’s a lesson for them (and the rest of us green marketers) to be careful about our use of language.    

Here’s 4 simple lessons for marketers:

1. Make sure you have evidence that matches the claim.
2. Be SPECIFIC with savings claims – always explain what conditions and assumptions underpin the numbers.
3. Avoid vague and broad phrases like “drastically reduced bills” unless you can prove that it applies to a significant proportion of users.
4. “Up to” is a tricky phrase – again, you must be able to show that a significant proportion of customers are likely to achieve the top-end ££ saving. 

If you have any questions or if this is causing you to rethink any website copy, ads or customer comms – we are very happy to chat and give it a sense check.

Still got questions?

Check out our greenwashing advice and training services.

Or, for an easy-to-read reminder on how to handle green claims, read our Anti-Greenwash Playbook.