A LinkedIn post has been removed by Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) following a complaint lodged by the Environmental Defenders Office on behalf of climate communications charity, Comms Declare.
The post, aimed at Victorian residents, claimed that gas cooktops have lower annual emissions than electric alternatives stating: “In Victoria, gas cooktops have the lowest annual energy cost ($18) and lowest annual emissions (32 kg CO2-e). In contrast, electric coil or plate cooktops have the highest energy cost ($47) and emissions (146 kg CO2-e).”
Comms Declare’s complaint outlined several issues with the ad’s calculations including the apparent omission of:
- methane emissions
- the most efficient induction cooktops
- emissions from running electric cooktops on a renewable grid on home solar.
The Ad Standards Community Panel found the ad broke three sections of the Environmental Claims Code, saying: “…the Environmental Claims in the advertisement were not substantiated and verifiable and did not include sufficient detail to allow evaluation of the claim.”
Belinda Noble, founder of Comms Declare, said: “Gas companies are increasingly using LinkedIn to argue against cuts to climate pollution, and we’re pleased that their half-truths and unsupported claims are finally being challenged by regulators.”
Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) is owned by Hong Kong’s CK Infrastructure Holdings-led consortium and combines the operations of the Dampier Bunbury Pipeline, Australian Gas Networks and Multinet Gas Networks. In its reply to the ruling, AGIG denied the ad was misleading.
The ad was run as Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap reduces reliance on gas in homes, threatening AGIG’s profits.
