London (AFP)

Ryanair has been singled out in the UK for misleading ads on CO2 emissions, casting doubt on the sector's ability to convince of the seriousness of its climate commitments.

The British advertising regulator (ASA) announced on Wednesday that it had banned low-cost carrier advertising in September 2019 in print, radio and television

The sector regulator estimated that the Irish group had misled consumers, by presenting itself as the one with the lowest CO2 emissions in Europe among the major airlines.

However, the ASA considered that it was difficult to define what a "large airline" was and that consumers could have the impression of contributing less to carbon emissions, which cannot be proven.

These "advertisements (...) must not appear again in their current forms," ​​demanded the regulator, who asked Ryanair to provide "the necessary evidence" to be able to make such promises on the environment.

In a statement, Ryanair said it was "disappointed and surprised" by the decision, and assures that it is the "greenest" air carrier in Europe.

According to his figures, he emits 66 grams of CO2 per passenger per kilometer, 25% less pollution than other large companies, still according to him.

"We have successfully deployed this advertising message in ten countries in Europe," said the group, which acknowledges "having made minor adjustments to the British market at the request of the competent authorities".

According to its website, Ryanair has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions to 60 grams by 2030 and says it is following the targets set by the International Air Transport Association (Iata) to lower them by 50% in 2050 compared to at the 2005 level.

- Carbon offset -

Since 2018, the group has also offered its customers to offset the environmental impact of their trip by paying an additional sum in addition to the ticket price to finance green projects. Ryanair has so far raised 2.5 million euros through this initiative.

This did not prevent the company from being ranked among the ten most polluting companies in Europe, according to figures from April 2019 published by the NGO Transport & Environment.

This report, which was based on all CO2 emissions in 2018, showed that Ryanair was in 10th place, behind nine coal producers from Germany, Poland and Bulgaria.

In contrast, a recent study by the British consumer association Which? noted that Ryanair flights were among the least polluting on a destination sample.

"However, we have also observed that the carbon offset mechanisms proposed by Ryanair do little or nothing to reduce emissions," said Rory Boland, an official at Which ?.

- "Greenwashing"? -

At the same time, the association welcomes the decision of the advertising regulator, especially at a time when environmental messages are becoming increasingly important in society.

"Millions of travelers want to make greener choices when they go on vacation and the regulator is right to scold companies that complicate matters with incorrect information," said Boland.

Pressure is increasing on the aviation sector, which is accused by NGOs of being particularly polluting and not doing enough to fight the climate crisis.

For a few months, citizens have been mobilizing, like the environmental activist Greta Thunberg, to call for a boycott of the plane, especially in Sweden where the "flight shaming" movement incites the travelers to favor other means of transport.

The sector multiplies at the same time promises like the British industry which wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as announced by the organization Sustainable Aviation, grouping London Heathrow Airport, British airlines Airways and EasyJet and the manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.

These companies intend to meet this objective through less polluting aircraft projects and controversial compensation mechanisms, which has not convinced NGOs like Greenpeace, which accuses the sector of "greenwashing".

© 2020 AFP