Saab challenged by Friends of the Earth over 'Biopower' claims

Thu 10 January 2008 View all news

The Swedish car manufacturer, Saab, has been challenged by environment group Friends of the Earth Europe to stop portraying its bioethanol cars as environmentally friendly or face a legal challenge for misleading advertising.

Friends of the Earth Europe has delivered a summons to Saab's Belgian office, which calls on the company to remove all wording and imagery from its website and brochures which associate its cars with nature or the protection of the environment. It says that Saab must also withdraw false claims that driving a Saab reduces CO2 emissions.

Friends of the Earth Europe highlights in the document that Saab does not display the CO2 emissions or fuel consumption figures of its 'Biopower' engines on its website or in its brochures which, FoE says, is a violation of Belgian and European law. 

The action by Friends of the Earth Europe follows a ruling in November last year by the Belgian advertising standards authority that Saab should cease an advertising campaign in which it claimed its 'Biopower' cars made the roads, "finally turn green". The authority deemed that the wording was in breach of the environmental advertisement code which forbids advertisers from implying a product has no impact on the environment, unless the claims can be proven.

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