The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) along with the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, and advertising body, ISBA (Incorporated Society of British Advertisers), today held a constructive high-level seminar on advertising and the automotive industry. With the recent changes to guidelines on street advertising, the seminar allowed manufacturers to debate the issues with the people at the very heart of the matter.
Aimed at providing information on the existing regulatory framework affecting car advertising, future developments and sharing best practice, speakers considered requirements ahead of the European Commission’s proposals to revise the existing European Labelling Directive.
Currently the European car labelling directive (1999/94/EC) introduced in 1999 requires car advertisements on billboards and in magazines to display fuel economy and CO2 emissions figures.
Car buyers are increasingly aware of environmental issues and manufacturers are delivering lower-carbon cars to the marketplace, helping to reduce tailpipe emissions and combat high-fuel costs. The industry is working hard to ensure that the consumer has all the information needed to make the best decision when choosing a car. The introduction of the colour-coded label as a voluntary measure in 2005, recognised as best practice by the European Commission, represents the simplest method of giving car buyers the information needed to make a lower carbon choice at point-of-sale.
“Today’s event is an important step in ensuring the UK motor industry continues to take the lead in raising consumer awareness about environmental issues and in building trust and confidence in the integrity of the advertising we use,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.
“The threat posed by climate change and public awareness of its implications now means that many products and companies, across all sectors, want to use environmental performance to promote their products. This is something that we should encourage. But in doing so we need to ensure that consumers are not misled or promised something that cannot be delivered,” he continued.
Vehicle manufacturers will continue to make detailed CO2 information available to consumers in a variety of formats and these new rules will help shape manufacturers’ advertisements in an open, honest and transparent manner.
For more information on car advertisements and the law which requires them to display fuel efficiency data visit: www.advertiseco2.eu
