NOT AS GREEN AS IT'S PAINTED

+ Click to Enlarge NOT TRUE: This is the magazine advert that misled the public, according to the UK Advertising Standards Authority.

October 2, 2009
By Martin Hickman

Mercedes-Benz has misled the public by claiming low emissions for a range of executive cars that are in fact among the most polluting on the road, according to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority.

"It's a pleasure, but not a guilty one,” the automaker said in a magazine advert for the E-Class sedan range priced from £26 000-£47 000 (SA prices R471 000-R1.15-million), adding that its emissions were "down to" 139g of CO2 per kilometre.

Following a complaint, the ASA investigated and found that only two out of 24 possible E-Class cars corresponded with the emissions figures.

Some were in the highest category set by the department of transport to warn drivers about high fuel consumption, taxation and pollution.

The case is the latest example of "greenwashing" where companies have been found to have made spurious environmental claims.

During the past two years the British ASA has banned ads from Shell for promoting its heavily-polluting extraction of oil from tar sands in Canada, British Gas for misleading businesses about its emissions performance and easyJet for suggesting its aircraft were 22 percent less polluting than rival planes, quoting figures skewed by its high passenger loads.

Earlier in 2009 the Malaysian Palm Oil Council was criticised by the ASA for suggesting that oil palm plantations were good for the environment and local people.

Several automakers' environmental ads were banned in 2009. They included Lexus and VW.

In the latest case, Mercedes-Benz suggested that drivers would switch to its new range safe in the knowledge that they would be helping the planet.

"CO2 emissions for the range are down to 139g/km*, which means it's better for the environment. It also means you pay less tax,” the company claimed.

The model shown was a Mercedes-Benz E250 CDI which indeed has emissions of 139g/km. A footnote, denoted by the asterisk, stated that the range’s emissions varied from 139 to 253g/km.

Mercedes told the ASA it believed it had taken reasonable steps to substantiate its claims and had not misrepresented emissions levels.

ONLY TWO COMPARED FAVOURABLY

However the ASA said the claim that the E-Class was "better for the environment" was likely to be understood as meaning the range as a whole was low in emissions compared with previous models and rival models.

Depending on model, fuel, gearbox and tyre sizes, only two vehicles out of the 24 in the range compared favourably with competitors' vehicles of a similar class, while "a number of vehicles in the range had emissions levels that were at the higher end of the transport department emissions ratings".

The ASA acknowledged the footnote but said: "However, we considered that the headline claim would give the impression to readers that a significant proportion of the range had achieved the lowest emissions figure, or a figure that was relatively low for the class, when that was not the case."

The ad was banned under rules on truthfulness, motoring and environmental claims. – The Independent, London

SEE FOR YOURSELF

Here are the CO2 emissions figures for Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedans, as quoted by the maker. The figures quoted are for manual-transmission models with the smallest available rim sizes. In every case, equivalent cars with automatic transmissions or larger rim sizes will have higher CO2 emissions.

E200 - 177g/km
E220 CDI - 139
E250 - 179
E250 CDI - 139
E350 - 201
E350 CDI - 181
E500 - 253
E63 AMG - 319