Description
Cruising the blue in a green way? The Dutch advertising watchdog ruled in September 2024 that MSC Cruises is misleading in their ads about sustainability.
A life-size hashtag #SaveTheSea on their polluting cruise ship, and claims that liquefied gas is the ‘cleanest fuel’. We went to the ad watchdog (Advertising Code Committee) in April, together with Reclamejagers (The Ads Hunters) and Advocates for the Future. The advertising watchdog agrees with us: MSC is making misleading green claims.
What does this ruling mean, and what is MSC Cruises no longer allowed to claim?
MSC Cruises may no longer pretend that a cruise is sustainable
This is greenwashing according to the Advertising Code Committee:
- #SaveTheSea
- ‘Cruising the blue in a green way’
- ‘We put environmental responsibility at the heart of everything we do'
Let's be clear. Taking a cruise is one of the most polluting ways to travel. Just when more and more people are concerned about the climate and want to reduce their own emissions, MSC Cruises is still trying to get customers on board with peace of mind. With blatant texts like ‘Save the Sea’ or ‘Cruising the blue in a green way’, this mega polluter pretends to be our saviour. The watchdog rules that this is misleading. MSC Cruises should not pretend to be greener than it is.
MSC Cruises misleads about liquefied gas as ‘cleanest’ fuel
This is greenwashing according to the Advertising Code Committee:
- ‘Achieved with state-of-the-art energy’
- ‘The new ships are powered by one of the cleanest marine fuel: Liquified Natural Gas’
MSC has had two cruise ships capable of running on fossil liquefied natural gas (LNG) since last year. The other 20 ships run on fuel oil. MSC Cruises is proud of their new megaships, presenting liquefied natural gas as the ‘cleanest fuel’. In an advert it talks about the ‘newest energy’ which may give consumers the idea that the ship runs on renewable fuels. Misleading, judges the watchdog.
In reality, cruising on liquefied gas leads to massive climate damage. Liquefied gas often comes from the United States, where the gas is extracted from the ground by fracking. This involves spraying masses of polluting chemicals into the ground, and releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Also, the process of making the gas cold, and therefore liquid, takes a lot of energy. Research shows that liquefied gas can be even worse for the climate than coal as a result.
MSC Cruises misleads with Net Zero by 2050
This is greenwashing according to the Advertising Code Committee:
- ‘a responsible way to sail into the future’
- ‘Our goal is net zero emissions by 2050’
- ‘In 2022, we launched our first ship on LNG - a major milestone on this important journey’
- ‘Hopefully in the not-too-distant future we will be able to use bio- and synthetic LNG and further reduce our impact on the journey to net zero greenhouse gases’
The cruise industry is booming, while the solutions to make shipping more sustainable are not there. Yet MSC Cruises claims it is well on its way to ‘Net Zero by 2050’ - by which the company means that by the year 2050 they will no longer contribute to heating up the earth.
But the plans needed for this are lacking. For example, MSC says it could start sailing on bio- or synthetic LNG, but those fuels are not at all scalable. There are insufficient feedstocks for biofuels, which, moreover, other sectors are also vying for. Synthetic LNG, on the other hand, is hugely energy-intensive to make. The Advertising Code Commission therefore says that MSC Cruises should not flaunt plans that are not concrete or feasible. Nor should they call their new ships, which can run on liquefied gas, a major milestone on this journey.
In doing so, the Advertising Code Committee follows the verdict of the Amsterdam court in the greenwashing lawsuit by Fossielvrij NL and Reclame Fossielvrij against KLM. There, the court ruled that it was misleading for KLM to pretend to be committed to the Paris Climate Agreement. KLM also claimed to have ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050, but has no plans to have this true either. So big polluters without proper climate plans no longer get away with their deception.
Action at Dentsu: ad agency found guilty of KLM ánd MSC greenwashing
Advertising agency Dentsu appears to be the agency behind not one, but two misleading advertisements. Earlier this year, the court ruled that their client KLM spread misleading claims and recently the Advertising Code Committee found that their client MSC Cruises also misled consumers with sustainability claims.
So an action was held in front of Dentsu's office, with the slogan: ‘Oops, Dentsu Did It Again!’ Banners were held and Britney Spears' song played calling on Dentsu to stop misleading marketing practices, and join Fossil No Deal. This is an agreement among advertising agencies to stop working for the fossil industry.
The campaigners point out that despite its public climate ambitions, Dentsu continues to use creative expertise for campaigns that promote the harmful, fossil-fuelled air travel and cruise industry. Dentsu's work therefore contributed to KLM's condemnation by the court and MSC Cruises' reprimand by the Advertising Code Committee (RCC).
Hiske Arts, expert Greenwashing: ‘Advertising agencies like Dentsu are the promoters of the climate crisis. They do everything they can to make you feel good when booking a cruise or plane trip, presenting these polluting choices in a green light.’
