Toronto – New data shows Canadians overwhelmingly support key elements of the new federal anti-greenwashing law (Bill C-59), with 93 per cent of Canadians saying “companies should be punished for making environmental claims that cannot be proven to be true” I support the phrase. , according to a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Forum and commissioned by Greenpeace Canada. The poll also found Canadians have less trust in oil companies after the companies removed environmental claims from their websites and social media after the law went into effect. The polling data was included in Greenpeace’s submission to the Federal Competition Bureau’s consultation on how to apply the law.
“Canadians want strong rules to prevent greenwashing, and they don’t trust oil companies to tell the truth without these rules,” said Keith Stewart, chief energy strategist at Greenpeace Canada. “Spending millions of dollars to flood the airwaves with greenwashing ads is a key part of the oil companies’ strategy to delay action on climate change. We therefore call on competing countries to strictly enforce advertising truth standards set by international organizations such as the United Nations. This is the ‘Task Force Against Greenwashing’.
Greenpeace Canada’s submission to the Competition Bureau consultation includes data from a survey conducted for Greenpeace. [1] What we found:
- One in three Canadians (31%) have heard of the new green laundry law passed by the Canadian government.
- Awareness is highest in BC (39%) and Alberta (41%) and lowest in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec (all 26%).
- 28% have heard of steps companies are taking to comply with these laws.
- Overwhelmingly, Canadians (93%) agree that companies that make environmental claims that cannot be proven to be true should be punished. 66% strongly agree with this, with no significant differences across age and gender.
- Removing environmental claims from oil company websites after anti-greenwashing laws are passed has the following consequences: Whether it increases or decreases trust in those companies’ environmental efforts.
- 40% say they are less trustworthy.
- 9% said it increases their trust.
- 38% said it had no effect on trust.
- Young Canadians aged 18 to 34 (48%) are the age group most likely to say this reduces trust.
In its submission to the Competition Bureau consultation, Greenpeace supports the new legislation and identifies two reputable international standards for assessing net zero claims. integrity issues framework and framework established by the UN High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Emissions Commitments by Non-State Organizations (chaired by Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister of Environment); Specialized in the oil industry Established by the International Energy Agency. As stated in the submission, Greenpeace Canada evaluated the net zero claims of Canadian banks and oil companies against these frameworks and found that they did not meet these criteria. The Competition Bureau is currently investigating a 2023 complaint from Greenpeace Canada alleging that a ‘net zero’ advertising campaign by six of the largest oil sands companies (Pathways Alliance) contained false and misleading claims.
“Canada is finally joining jurisdictions like the EU and Australia in cracking down on greenwash,” said Priyanka Vittal, general counsel at Greenpeace Canada. “We proposed ways to ensure that these rules are applied firmly but fairly so that fossil fuel companies do not have an unfair advantage over their clean energy competitors.”
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Notes to editors:
[1] This data is based on a poll hosted by the Angus Reid Forum from September 16 to September 18, 2024, among a representative sample of 1,515 online Canadians who are Angus Reid Forum members. Detailed data sets are available upon request.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Bergamo, Communications Activist, Greenpeace Canada
[email protected] ; +1 438 928-5237
