The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has made a decision on a Virgin Atlantic radio commercial broadcast in November 2023. It says that further clarification should have been provided regarding the sustainable aviation fuel used on Flight 100 to ensure that the airline’s sustainability claims do not prove misleading to the public.
Virgin Atlantic’s use of the phrase “100% sustainable aviation fuel” was challenged by a number of claimants and upheld by the ASA on the grounds that – in the words of the judgment – “most consumers … are likely to be unaware of the extent and nature of the impacts that fuels described as sustainable aviation fuel nevertheless have on the environment”.
Although the advertisement noted that Demonstration Flight 100 was unique in using 100% SAF, “the lack of information in the advertisement explaining that sustainable aviation fuel produces lower but still significant emissions over its life cycle, including emissions during flight, and explaining how the fuel otherwise significantly impacts the environment” is likely to lead a “significant proportion” of listeners to overestimate its environmental benefits.
However, Virgin stressed that the wording of the ad was in line with the terms of the UK Department for Transport’s competition (which the airline won in December 2022) and reflected the airline’s intention to “improve transparency and understanding around sustainable aviation fuel” as part of its Flight 100 demonstration.
After being informed of the complaint by the ASA, Virgin conducted a survey which found that 68% of respondents “understood from the advert that sustainable aviation fuel was better for the environment than conventional jet fuel, but not without negative impacts”. However, the terminology of “sustainable aviation fuel” itself – although it is “commonly used by governments, regulators, industry associations, fuel companies, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, airlines, academia, aircraft and engine manufacturers and the mainstream media” – continued to be questioned by the ASA, which believed that further explanation and context about the product should have been provided.
The ASA concluded that more information about the environmental impact of SAF “would have had an impact on the purchasing decisions of these listeners” and therefore concluded that “100% sustainable aviation fuel” was an unqualified claim. Under the UK’s Code of Broadcast Advertising (BCAP Code), Virgin Atlantic must now include “qualifying information explaining the environmental impact of the (sustainable aviation) fuel” in all future commercials.
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