Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 hr ago
UK regulator bans four brands’ ads over carbon-neutral delivery claims
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority banned four brands’ delivery ads after finding their environmental claims could mislead consumers.
The ads were from toilet paper retailer Who Gives A Crap, kitchenware retailer ProCook, coffee company Grind and sports retailer SportsShoes.com.
They described deliveries as carbon neutral or carbon positive.
The ASA said the ads did not explain whether the claims depended on reducing emissions or offsetting them with carbon credits.
That missing detail can affect how shoppers understand the environmental impact of a delivery and make greener choices.
The regulator said the ads must not appear again in the forms it investigated.
Grind said it has since changed its wording and updated its website to explain its claim.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned ads by Who Gives A Crap, ProCook, Grind and SportsShoes.com over carbon-neutral or carbon-positive delivery claims.
The ASA said the ads did not explain whether the claims relied on emissions reductions or carbon offsetting.
It found that the missing information was likely to mislead consumers and upheld all four complaints.
The rulings were published on 11 November 2026, and the ads must not appear again in the forms investigated.
- Who
- The ASA and the four businesses: Who Gives A Crap, ProCook, Grind and SportsShoes.com.
- What
- The ASA banned four ads making carbon-neutral or carbon-positive delivery claims.
- When
- The rulings were published on 11 November 2026. The ads were seen in June 2026.
- Where
- The United Kingdom.
- Why
- The ads did not explain how the claimed carbon-neutral or carbon-positive delivery status had been achieved, including the role of offsetting.
ASA
Grind Coffee
Basis of the claim
ASA
The ASA said the ad did not explain how far the carbon-positive delivery claim depended on offsetting or actual emissions removal.
Grind Coffee
Grind said the ASA challenged whether the ad explained the claim, not whether the claim could be substantiated.
Action taken
ASA
The ASA banned the ad and reminded Grind to make the basis of environmental claims clear.
Grind Coffee
Grind said it had updated its website with a clear definition of carbon-neutral delivery.
ProCook’s Google search ad was seen promoting carbon-neutral delivery.
Who Gives A Crap’s paid-for Meta ad was seen using the phrase “Carbon neutral shipping”.
The ASA published its rulings, upheld all four complaints and said the ads must not appear again in the forms investigated.
- Brands affected
- Who Gives A Crap, ProCook, Grind and SportsShoes.com
- Complaints upheld
- 4
- ProCook ad seen
- 8 June 2026
- Who Gives A Crap ad seen
- 9 June 2026
- ASA rules cited
- CAP Code rules 3.1, 3.3 and 11.1
- Ruling published
- 11 November 2026
2 sources
What people are saying
Carbon neutral or net zero claims can mislead if it’s not clear what they actually mean or how they’ve been achieved.
Where these claims rely on carbon offsetting, this must be made clear so that people don’t think what’s being advertised produces no or few emissions.
The challenge was not that we weren’t able to substantiate the claim, but rather that we didn’t explain it fully in the ad.