South Africa's advertising watchdog has dealt another significant setback to fossil fuel marketing practices, ruling that compressed natural gas (CNG) cannot be promoted as a "clean", "green" or "sustainable" fuel without proper qualification.
In a landmark decision issued on 11 May 2026, the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) upheld a complaint brought by Fossil Free South Africa under its Fossil Ad Ban campaign against CNG Holdings and its NGV Gas division. The ruling found that environmental claims used to market gas created a misleading impression about the fuel's climate impacts.
The case centred on advertising that described CNG as "clean", "environmentally friendly", "sustainable" and the "fuel of the future". The ARB concluded that such claims lacked sufficient qualification and could mislead consumers regarding the true environmental footprint of natural gas.
The decision marks the second major greenwashing victory for Fossil Free South Africa following the regulator's historic ruling against TotalEnergies in 2024. It also follows the withdrawal of sustainability-related fuel claims by Shell earlier this year after facing similar scrutiny.
Climate campaigners say the ruling establishes several important precedents for how fossil fuel companies market their products. The ARB found that broad environmental terms such as "green" and "sustainable" can be deceptive when presented without context or qualification. It also rejected arguments that general references to the energy transition are enough to justify sweeping environmental claims.
Significantly, the regulator ruled that limited comparisons, such as presenting gas as cleaner than coal, do not support broader assertions that a fuel is environmentally friendly. The decision further recognised that excluding lifecycle emissions, including methane leakage and carbon dioxide emissions across the value chain, can create a false impression of a product's climate credentials.
The ruling reflects a growing shift in climate accountability efforts across Africa, where regulators and campaigners are increasingly challenging the way fossil fuel companies communicate environmental performance to the public.
For climate advocates, the significance of the case extends beyond the specific claims made by CNG Holdings. The ARB's decision reinforces the principle that greenwashing is not limited to outright falsehoods. Advertising can also be misleading when it creates an overall impression that is inconsistent with the scientific reality of a product's environmental impact.
As pressure mounts on governments and businesses to accelerate decarbonisation, the South African ruling could become an influential precedent for future challenges against fossil fuel advertising across the continent.
