Description
Who: Municipality of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
What:
- Motion to request advertising operators to stop fossil ads
- Motion requests national government to stop fossil ads
- A covenant with subway advertising operator to stop ads for fossil fuels, fossil fueled cars and cheap ticket airlines
- Proposal to ban fossil and meat advertising by local law
When: Motion adopted in 2020 - first step in May 2021 - Local law proposal submitted April 2024 - still ongoing
2024 developments: local law proposal
Dutch political parties GroenLinks (GreenLeft) and Partij voor de Dieren (Party for the Animals) have submitted an initiative proposal in Amsterdam to get fossil advertising and advertisements for animal food products completely out of the streetscape. They want to achieve this by including a ban on these advertisements in the APV, a local law. The proposal was tabled on April 22nd 2024. Before the city council is allowed to vote on the proposal, it is waiting for a response from the city board.
Local law: best way to implement fossil ad ban according to legal experts
By banning ads via local law, the city does not need to break contracts or wait for long-running contracts to end. A ban through the public law route is also the best way to regulate a local ban, according to legal experts (see, among others: MEMO Regulating advertising with a negative environmental impact (for local governments) - World without fossil ads). Earlier, proposals to regulate it through the APV achieved a majority in the Dutch cities of Zwolle and Tilburg.
Reaction GroenLinks and Partij voor de Dieren
In the press release from GroenLinks and Partij voor de Dieren about the proposal, the political parties say, "It is time for action. Amsterdam must show that tackling the climate crisis is its top priority. A ban on advertisements that contribute to the climate crisis is a crucial step in this, given the significant impact of advertising on people's consumption patterns."
First city in 2020
In December 2020, Amsterdam was the first city in the world that wanted to ban advertising from the fossil fuel industry and ads for air travel. The municipality is taking this step after a letter from 51 local organisations coordinated by citizens’ initiative Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil Free Advertising). The Green party (GroenLinks), Socialist Party (SP) and the party DENK initiatied the motion in the municipal council, where it got additional support from the Labour party (PvdA) and the Animal party (PvdD).
The first concrete step of Amsterdam to comply with the motion was taken in the Amsterdam subway stations. The advertising operator decided to ban ads that promoted fossil fuels, fossil fuel cars and low cost air travel.
The news about Amsterdam banning fossil ads travelled around the world. It was covered from Vietnam to Canada. Many cities and campaign groups were inspired to do the same.
- Text of the motion (December 2020) (in Dutch)
- Text of the letter (April 2020) urging the elderman to ban fossil ads (in Dutch)
- Reaction of the city board (October 2021): the board reacted with a letter stating that they would ban fossil ads in new contracts and lobby towards the Dutch national government for a fossil ad ban. Read the whole letter here (in Dutch).
