TAKE ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL GREENWASHING

This guide by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) provides instructions for individuals and organizations to report fossil fuel greenwashing in Canada. It details the processes for filing complaints with Advertising Standards Canada and the Competition Bureau of Canada, while offering tips for identifying deceptive environmental claims and reporting ads on digital platforms.

• The guide identifies a "massive regulatory gap" in Canada regarding greenwashing because the government's detailed guidelines were archived and replaced by more ambiguous, general guidelines, shifting the burden of reporting deceptive ads onto citizens.
• Advertising Standards (AS) is recommended for individuals to quickly flag misleading ads. AS evaluates environmental claims primarily under Clause 1 (Accuracy and Clarity) and can ask advertisers to amend or withdraw ads. Complaints to AS must be about specific ads seen in Canadian media within the last 3 months and cannot be publicized until a ruling is made, or they will be dismissed.
• The Competition Bureau (CB) is recommended for organizations due to the significant documentation required for the six-resident complaint process. The CB enforces the Competition Act and can fine companies or require ads to be removed. Investigations by the CB can take 2 to 3 years, during which time the advertisements may continue to run.
• Both Advertising Standards and the Competition Bureau utilize a "general impression" test to determine if an advertisement is misleading, considering the overall message conveyed rather than just the literal meaning of the text.
• The guide lists several "red flags" for spotting greenwashing, including the use of empty language like 'natural,' 'green,' 'sustainable,' or 'clean,' imagery that does not align with a product's environmental impact, and claims that a product can be used without the known consequences of burning fossil fuels (e.g., "drive carbon neutral").
• Beyond formal regulatory complaints, the guide suggests reporting deceptive ads directly to digital platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Google to impact algorithms and potentially have ads removed.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). TAKE ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL GREENWASHING. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-2.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. TAKE ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL GREENWASHING. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=TAKE ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL GREENWASHING |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndtake, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{TAKE ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL GREENWASHING}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Greenwashing-Toolkit-Part-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }