Hurtigruten’s Claim of Sustainability Runs Afoul of UK Advertising Standard

With sustainability becoming a buzzword and drawing increasing interest from consumers, the level of scrutiny over claims is also increasing. HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) the cruise operation of the famed Norwegian shipping company contends that it did not intend to create a misleading message but UK regulators found it had done just that with advertisement for its “sustainable expeditions.”

The increased focus on sustainability is also resulting in hypersensitivity as many companies attempt to latch onto the concept in their marketing. Studies have shown that a portion of consumers are attracted to sustainability and have become increasingly aware of their impact during travel.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority which administers the rules was asked to review a digital ad run by HX in March of this year to promote travel to Svalbard. The promotion included “free flights” while also included the assertion that “Since 1896, we’ve been the leaders in sustainable expeditions.”

Illustrating the level of review companies are undergoing for their claims of sustainability, the ASA focused on the word “expeditions” and the environmental impact of flights. While the cruise line argued it was an ad for a cruise and that “expeditions” were more closely associated with land travel and cruises, ASA upheld the assessment that the ad violated standards because the flights were part of the promoted travel and did not meet the sustainability criteria.

“We told Hurtigruten UK Ltd t/a HX Hurtigruten Expeditions to ensure the basis of future environmental claims was made clear and did not give a misleading impression of their expeditions’ environmental impact, and that robust substantiation was held to support them,” reports ASA.

Hurtigruten in its response to the authority pointed to its long heritage of taking sustainability initiatives. Recently, they said the cruise line has banished polluting heavy fuel oil from its fleet while introducing a hybrid electric cruise ship and ending the use of single-use plastics. The company said it did not intend to imply that cruises have no environmental impact, but that its efforts meant the company had a relatively low impact, especially in comparison to other cruise lines. HX says it aims to make a minimal impact on nature.

ASA’s concern was that the basis for the environmental claims in the ad was not clearly stated. They found that the claim was not qualified in the advertisement and did not clearly state that sustainability did not cover all aspects of the holiday package being promoted.

The authority warns that absolute environmental claims must be supported by a high level of substantiation. They also judge that environmental claims must be based on the full life cycle of the advertised product.

The cruise company was told that the ad, which only ran once, must not appear again in its current form which led to the complaint.