Z Energy to face Commerce Commission complaint for greenwashing
Lawyers For Climate Action NZ Inc (LCANZI) has made a complaint against Z Energy to the Commerce Commission for greenwashing in its Moving With the Times campaign in which the petrol retailer claims it is “getting out of the petrol business” and positions itself as part of the transition away from fossil fuels.
LCANZI president Jenny Cooper KC says the campaign is misleading and irresponsible.
“Z Energy claims it is on track to achieving its carbon reduction targets and uses its biofuel manufacturing plant, electric vehicle chargers in petrol stations and becoming an electricity retailer as examples of it making big changes for the planet.
“The truth is, it has actually closed its biofuel manufacturing plant, by the end of 2022 it will only have EV chargers in 14 of its 286 stations, and becoming an electricity retailer won’t have much of an impact on carbon emissions.
“This campaign is part of a worldwide trend of fossil fuel companies that are literally fuelling climate change, trying to boost business by painting themselves as part of the solution. They’re not. The solution is to stop using fossil fuels as fast as possible.
“In Aotearoa, Z Energy’s carbon reduction targets don’t even count emissions from the fuel it sells. That fuel creates nearly 10 percent of Aotearoa’s total emissions.
“Despite what its advertising claims, Z Energy has told investors that it isn’t meeting its carbon reduction targets as quickly as it would like to, and it doesn’t plan to reduce fuel sales in the next decade, or forecast them to fall either. It also openly tells investors that it plans to ‘optimise its core business’ - which of course is selling fuel.
“The company is putting on a climate-friendly front in the campaign, misleading customers to think it is OK for them to purchase fuel from them, because of the climate-friendly actions it is taking.
“On the other hand, it is telling investors that there is a risk to shareholder value by rushing into climate action, and its preference is to keep its options open for as long as ‘reasonably possible’. This just isn’t right, and especially not when the stakes are as high as having a safe planet to live on or not.
“We need to hold these big companies to account - they need to be honest with what they are really selling. Playing with the hearts and minds of consumers who are are concerned about climate change and trying to do the right thing for the planet is unethical and we want to see some strong action taken,” says Cooper.
LCANZI is a registered charity of almost 500 lawyers, academics and law students who are committed to using the law to combat climate change.
You can read the full complaint here, this is the transcript of the ad, and this is a picture of the ad.
Contact:
Jenny Cooper KC (president of LCANZI)
09 354 1408 or 021 632 260 or president@lawyersforclimateaction.nz
Thank you to LCANZI’s greenwashing subcommittee for putting together this complaint.