Adverts published by on behalf of London Luton Airport have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority for claims of greenwashing.
The ads were published by Luton Rising to highlight the airport’s planned expansion.
London Rising didn’t detail the environmental impact of the expansion with any specifics.
The ads said: “If we miss our environmental limits, our expansion will be stopped in its tracks.”
Luton Rising is a separate entity to London Luton Airport.
Ads were displayed on the London Underground, and online.
They were reported to the ASA by activists.
The Adfree Cities group said: “Green growth advertising is a house of cards that immediately collapses under scrutiny.”
“The ad failed to include emissions from flights in its environmental accounting.”
“This level of deception is totally shocking – it’s like advertising cigarettes as healthy.”
The ASA upheld the complaint saying it could mislead consumers.
In doing so, it said the adverts made statements about Green Controlled Growth, but did not provide further information about the limits included.
The ASA says it breached the code on misleading advertising and environmental claims.
Last year, several adverts for airlines including Lufthansa and Air France for failing to prove their sustainability commitments with data.