Applegreen-Washing:
Separating Action From Marketing Ploys
Earlier this week fuel retailer Applegreen launched a new campaign to promote the use of their premium PowerPlus fuel, stating “when our customers choose PowerPlus, all the emissions from their driving are offset there and then”.
Today we look at whether Applegreen’s new program is a step in the right direction, or whether it is simply greenwashing.
What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting – also known as buying carbon credits – typically revolves around planting trees to counter the amount of emissions a person creates from their use of fossil fuels.
The subject of carbon offsetting has been the focus of much debate in recent years as a strategy for tackling climate change, and has become a major tool used by corporations to demonstrate that they are taking accountability for their emissions.
But does it work?
Does carbon offsetting work?
While offsetting the carbon of your flight or your annual carbon footprint is better than nothing, ultimately it is not a strategy that will help to tackle climate change in any meaningful way, unless we reduce the amount of emissions that we create.
At its worst, carbon offsetting distracts from the fact that we need to be actively lowering our carbon emissions, and allows corporations to get away with continuing their unsustainable behaviours, while shifting the blame and responsibility to consumers – this is known as greenwashing.
“A 2017 study by the European Commission found that 85% of offsetting projects failed to reduce emissions”
This is perhaps best summarised by journalist and climate activist George Monbiot’s quote: “Buying and selling carbon offsets is like pushing the food around on your plate to create the impression that you have eaten it.”
A 2017 study by the European Commission found that 85% of offsetting projects under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism had failed to reduce emissions, and in response the EU will stop allowing offsets to be counted towards emissions reductions targets from 2021.
Why is carbon offsetting used to greenwash?
Many corporations will offer their customers the chance to pay a premium to offset their emissions – and, to some extent, their guilt.
It can take between 15-35 years for the typical tree to capture as much CO2 as many carbon offsetting schemes say they will.
While this conjures the image that a new tree will instantly start sucking your emissions out of the air to reduce your carbon footprint, in reality it can take between 15-35 years for the typical tree to capture as much CO2 as many carbon offsetting schemes say they will.
With the world on course for catastrophic climate breakdown before these trees are due to mature, they offer little in the way of a solution.
Furthermore, with the increase in wildfires and flooding due to climate change, it’s also less likely that these trees will reach maturity – and increasingly likely that any carbon stored in them will be released back into the atmosphere.
The focus, then, should be on stopping the rate of deforestation and dramatically reducing our emissions, rather than pretending that they have been swept under the rug.
What does this mean for Applegreen’s campaign?
We reached out to Applegreen for clarification on a number of key aspects of their campaign (see below), but did not get a response. As such, we’ll have to take their campaign solely at face value.
As per their website, Applegreen will only offset the emissions created from the fuel once it has entered car’s fuel tank, ignoring the emissions created when the fuel was extracted, transported and refined – which typically accounts for up to 40% of the total greenhouse gas emissions from petrol and diesel.
This also leaves out the emissions generated when the fuel is transported from the refinery to the Applegreen forecourt.
Furthermore, Applegreen’s PowerPlus fuels are Octane-95 fuels, otherwise known as “premium”. A 2016 study by the American Automobile Association investigated the claims of fuel manufacturers that the use of premium fuels would lower emissions, but instead found that fewer than 20% of cars had been designed to burn them.
As a result for the majority of cars on the road it did not result in more horsepower, better fuel economy or produce fewer exhaust emissions.
Returning to Applegreen’s claims, their website does not state where the trees will be planted, whether they will be native trees – an essential factor in tackling biodiversity and bioabundance breakdown – nor who their carbon offsetting partner is.
Credit: Applegreen
Perhaps, most importantly, they don’t provide any information on how emissions might increase from more people using their premium petrol and, worse, diesel PowerPlus fuels.
A video on their website states: “As part of our journey towards electric vehicles, and a low carbon future, we’re now offering you the choice of carbon neutral driving with Applegreen PowerPlus fuel”.
It is hard to see how offsetting emissions without actively seeking to reduce them will, in any way, contribute to their journey towards electric cars.
As such, we would warn consumers that Applegreen is doing nothing more than greenwashing.
Our questions for Applegreen
It is worth highlighting that we reached out to Applegreen for comment, and were put in touch with their PR agency, Cullen Communications. Despite submitting a number of questions specifically focused on the PowerPlus campaign (see below), we were informed that “your questions are very comprehensive and cover areas beyond the topic of the current campaign”.
We’ll leave it to you to consider whether these questions are relevant:
Does Applegreen’s “Carbon Neutral PowerPlus” project offset the full carbon cycle of the fuel – from extraction to consumption – or will does your project only offset the emissions created by the cars using your fuel?
Given that all current climate models demonstrate that offsetting is a redundant tactic without reducing carbon emissions entering the atmosphere, how can Applegreen justify this as anything more than greenwashing?
Will this project be audited by an independent body, and how often will the carbon offsetting be reported on?
What is the carbon footprint of your “PowerPlus” fuel from extraction to consumption, and how does this compare with the other fuels in your range?
Why was your “PowerPlus” fuel selected above the other fuels that you offer? And does this project extend to both the petrol and diesel “PowerPlus” options?
How many litres of “PowerPlus” fuel do you sell in Ireland each year? (Preferably a breakdown of petrol vs diesel if available)
Are you working with a dedicated carbon offsetting partner, or is this being exclusively managed by Applegreen? If using a partner, who is this?
Where will your trees be planted, and what age and types of trees will you be planting? Is there a particular methodology behind your tree selection?
Aside from your “Carbon Neutral PowerPlus” project what measures are you taking to support electric car adoption across Ireland?
Will you be funding the roll-out of more EV chargers at Applegreen stations? Can you provide any statistics on the number of planned chargers and when you expect these to come online?
Your “Achievements to date” list that your operations are run on 100% green electricity in Ireland. Where is this sourced from?
How much electricity does Applegreen produce in Ireland? Are you planning to invest in renewable energy, such as roof-top solar, at any of your sites in Ireland?
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