ACCC Sues Australian Gas Networks Over Greenwashing Claims

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has initiated Federal Court action against Australian Gas Networks Limited, accusing the company of greenwashing through its 'Love Gas' advertising campaign which ran during 2022 and 2023. The ads claimed that the gas distributed to households would become renewable within a generation, a statement the ACCC alleges was unqualified and misleading given the current technical and economic barriers to distributing renewable gas at scale and reasonable cost. These advertisements featured a young girl and her father using gas appliances, suggesting a renewable gas future without any disclaimers or qualifications. The ACCC argues that Australian Gas Networks did not have reasonable grounds for these claims and that the campaign misled millions of consumers, depriving them of the ability to make fully informed decisions about their energy sources and appliance investments. Australian Gas Networks has expressed disappointment at the legal action and intends to defend its campaign. The case highlights ongoing tensions in Australia around the transition to renewable energy and the accuracy of corporate environmental claims.