Some of the press coverage about our fight against corporate advertising.

For press enquiries please email hello [~at~] adfreecities.org.uk or call 07517 408513 (email preferred as phone is not monitored 24/7).

November 2023

Elf Bar vape adverts banned in UK over ‘greener’ recycling claims
The Guardian, 29 November 2023

UK watchdog bans Elfbar single-use vape adverts over ‘misleading’ recycling claims
Business Green, 29 November 2023

Elf Bar vape adverts banned over ‘misleading’ recycling claims
Sky News, 29 November 2023

a screenshot from a Sky News article about the ASA banning Elf Bar's recycling ads.

Elf Bar adverts banned by ASA for misleading recycling claims
Marketing Beat, 29 November 2023

Elfbar vape ads banned over ‘misleading’ environmental claims
The Independent, 29 November 2023

Elfbar vape ads banned over misleading environmental claims
Guernsey Press, 29 November 2023

Campaigners protest outside The&Partnership offices following Toyota ASA ruling
Marketing Beat, 23 November 2023

Toyota SUV adverts banned in UK on environmental grounds
The Guardian, 22 November 2023

Toyota advert banned for showing pick-up truck convoy driving through river
Financial Times, 22 November 2023

UK bans two Toyota adverts for promoting off-road driving
The Independent, 22 November 2023

Toyota SUV advert banned for ‘disregarding’ impact of vehicles being pictured driving on environment
Sky News, 22 November 2023

Toyota SUV ad depicting off-road driving in nature banned by ASA
Business Green, 22 November 2023

The UK banned a Toyota truck ad for promoting off-road driving
Bloomberg, 22 November 2023

SUVs could be the latest casualty of climate change as Paris tries to drive them out
Euronews, 24 November 2023

Campaign group Adfree Cities tells The Drum that ads for oversized cars should be banned outright in order to curb their equally oversized harms.
The Drum, 22 November 2023

ASA bans Toyota ad for encouraging environmentally damaging driving
Campaign, 22 November 2023

UK Advertising Watchdog Bans Toyota SUV Ads on Environmental Grounds
DeSmog, 22 November 2023

Toyota SUV ads banned for condoning driving ‘with no regard for environmental impact’
The Ecologist, 22 November 2023

UK bans Toyota Hilux ad for being socially “irresponsible” towards environment
The Driven, 22 November 2023

Toyota ads banned for encouraging ‘irresponsible’ behaviour
Sustainability Beat, 22 November 2023

UK bans Toyota advertisement for promoting off-road driving
Financial Express, 22 November 2023

SUV ads were pulled in a landmark UK ruling
Positive News, 24 November 2023

Toyota carbon emissions soar, now more than Australia, as it seeks to slow EV uptake
The Driven, 20 November 2023

Can this EV charging network’s ad-funded model make the market more accessible?
The Drum, 17 November 2023

Shell taps gamers and influencers to boost image among the young
Financial Times, 10 November 2023

Bristol campaigners welcome changes to digital advertising screens
BBC Bristol, 2 November 2023

October 2023

Adfree Cities calls to ‘End Meat Advertising’ in the UK
Marketing Beat, 31 October 2023

Adfree Cities Calls for Meat Advertising to Be Banned in the UK
Vegconomist, 30 October 2023

Campaigners Call for An End To Meat Advertising In The UK
Plant Based News, 27 October 2023

Oily ads will continue to slip out of the ASA’s reach
Campaign, 25 October 2023

Repsol has renewable hydrogen ad banned in the UK over greenwashing worries
Edie, 18 October 2023

‘Omitted material information’: Repsol rapped for second time in a year by ASA for misleading green ads
Business Green, 18 October 2023

El regulador publicitario británico veta por segunda vez un anuncio de Repsol por ‘greenwashing’ en lo que va de año
El Diario, 18 October 2023

ASA bans ‘misleading’ Repsol ad for greenwashing
Campaign, 18 October 2023

September 2023

‘Not fit for purpose’: Watchdog accused of failing to protect public from ‘climate impacts of high-carbon advertising’
Business Green, 20 September 2023

Havas ‘on the radar’ of climate activists and clients walk following Shell account win
The Drum, 20 September 2023

Regulators Are Trying to Stop Greenwashing Before It Gets Worse
Bloomberg / Bloomberg Law, 18 September 2023

EVs offset by SUVs
The Ecologist, 15 September 2023

August 2023

Reino Unido prohíbe los engaños de las petroleras
Ballena Blanca magazine (elDiario.es), August 2023

Campaigners paint over ‘illegal’ ad billboards in Bristol
Bristol 24/7, 3 August 2023

June 2023

We object to massive new ad screens for two main reason: the ads and the screens
Bristol 247, 14 June 2023

Is the ASA’s greenwashing crackdown changing the ad industry?
Campaign, 18 June 2023

Regulators take aim at ‘lobby-tising’
Financial Times, 9 June 2023

Climate activists stage anti-greenwash protest outside Wunderman Thompson
Campaign, 8 June 2023

Protesters gather at agency HQs to stifle Shell media review
The Drum, 8 June 2023

Positive News: This week’s good news round up
Positive News, 8 June 2023

What an honest ad from an oil and gas company would look like
Quartz, 8 June 2023

UK watchdog bans Shell, Repsol and Petronas greenwashing ads
The Financial Times, 7 June 2023

Shell’s clean energy advertising campaign is misleading, UK watchdog says
Washington Post, 7 June 2023

Shell’s ‘green’ ad campaign banned in UK for being ‘likely to mislead’
Guardian, 7 June 2023

Shell adverts featuring wind turbines and EV charging points banned for ‘greenwashing’
The Telegraph, 7 June 2023

Shell Energy adverts banned for ‘fossil-fuel greenwashing’
The Times, 7 June 2023

‘Precedent setting’: Shell, Petronas, and Repsol rapped over green ads
Business Green, 7 June 2023

‘Misleading’ Shell adverts about low-carbon products banned
Sky News, 7 June 2023

Shell’s clean energy campaign is misleading, UK advertising watchdog says
Independent, 7 June 2023

Ad watchdog cracks down on oil giants Shell and Petronas’ ‘greenwashing’ campaigns
Evening Standard, 7 June 2023

Shell’s latest greenwashing ad ban marks a tipping point for big oil’s eco campaigns
The Drum, 7 June 2023

ASA bans three Shell ads for greenwashing
Campaign, 7 June 2023

Advertising regulation is not fit for climate protection
Business Green, 7 June 2023 (Opinion)

Shell’s Bristol advert campaign banned for being misleading and exaggerated
Bristol Post, 7 June 2023

Protesters fighting ‘harmful’ advertising cover up digital advert screens
London News Online, 5 June 2023

May 2023

6 Ads Banned for Greenwashing by the UK’s Advertising Watchdog
Bloomberg, 27th May 2023

Prize Flights: BBC urged to stop offering flights to competition winners
Business Green, 4 May 2023

March 2023

New billboard celebrates independent businesses
Bristol 24/7, 21 March 2023

February 2023

HSBC adds greenwashing to its risk matrix
Edie, 22 February 2023

January 2023

How the regulatory tide is turning against greenwashing brands in 2023
The Drum, 24 January 2023

December 2022

‘Nature-rinsing’ is the perfect term for our age of climate anxiety
Fast Company, 14 December 2022

HSBC to stop funding new oil and gas fields after greenwashing criticism
The Telegraph, 14 December 2022

Derail car advertising
Ecologist, 9 December 2022

Rail network refuses to ban adverts for flights and SUVs
The Times (print only), 5 December 2022

November 2022

Les détourners de pub
Radio France, 28 November 2022

Tackling greenwash in the aviation industry.
Aviation Environment Federation, 17 November 2022

October 2022

HSBC ads banned for misleading consumers about green credentials
Financial Times, 19 October 2022

Watchdog bans HSBC climate ads in fresh blow to bank’s green credentials
Guardian, 19 October 2022

HSBC climate change adverts banned by UK watchdog
BBC News, 19 October 2022

HSBC misled consumers with ‘greenwashing’ adverts, watchdog rules
Telegraph, 19 October 2022

HSBC climate ads misled consumers over bank’s environmental impact, ASA rules
Business Green, 19 October 2022

HSBC ‘green’ ads banned for omitting information about bank’s own emissions
Evening Standard, 19 October 2022

HSBC ads among latest to be ruled greenwashing by ASA
The Drum, 19 October 2022

Advertising watchdog gives HSBC a black mark over green claims (paywalled)
The Times, 19 October 2022

HSBC’s COP26 Climate-Change Ads Were Misleading, U.K. Watchdog Says
Wall Street Journal, 19 October 2022

The cities going billboard-free
ABC Radio, Australia, 5 October 2022

September 2022

In pictures: Activists take over billboards to call out impact of flying on global carbon emissions
Euronews, 23 September 2022

‘Eco-brandals’ target airline adverts in coordinated mass poster attack
Mirror, 22 September 2022

Ruinair? Airline ads across Europe ‘hacked’ in climate protest
The Brussels Times, 22 September 2022

Should billboard advertising be banned?
BBC, 8 September 2022

April 2022

The towns and cities taking junk food bans into their own hands
The Grocer, 11 April 2022

February 2022

The activists fighting to block advertising in UK cities
Huck magazine, 14 February 2022

December 2021

Bristol residents call for the removal of giant advertising screens
BBC, 6 December 2021

Back to the drawing board: the movement to reclaim cities from ad hoardings
Positive News, 1 December 2021

November 2021

Watchdog overturns ban on advert of Land Rover in forest
The Guardian, 24 November 2021

ASA draws ire from green campaigners over Land Rover ad ruling
Business Green, 24 November 2021

EasyJet faces investigation over greenwash adverts during COP26
Eco-hustler, 5 November 2021

The Fight to End Corporate Advertising in Bristol
The Bristol Activist, 14 November 2021

How one organisation is calling out the hypocrisy of fossil ads with its own spoof versions
It’s Nice That – 9 November 2021

To boycott or not to boycott: how agencies should work with high-carbon clients
Campaign Live – 2 November 2021

Adfree Cities targets HSBC ‘greenwashing’ with ASA complaints campaign
The Drum, 2 November 2021

‘Fight for the soul of the industry’: adland under scrutiny from watchful green activists
The Drum, 1 November 2021

October 2021

European Ad Agencies Targeted by Spoof Posters Calling Out Their Fossil Fuel Clients
Adweek, 13 October 2021

Adblock Bristol demands a ban on fossil fuel advertising
Ths Bristol Cable, 11 October 2021

London’s biggest ad agencies targeted in anti-advertising climate protests
The Drum, 11 October 2021

September 2021

Campaigners say M32 advert screens in Bristol are ‘grotesque’ and need removing
Bristol Post, 23 September 2021

Fight for your right to be ad-free
Ethical Consumer, 9 September 2021

OPINION: Why I’m taking a stand against harmful advertisments
Eastern Daily News, 2 September 2021

July 2021

Digital screen advert firm tries again to win permission at busy Bedminster junction
Bristol Post, 13 July 2021

June 2021

The truth about advertising: are ads a violation of our human rights?
Live Frankly, 14 June 2021

Huge digital screen ad ‘would be dangerous’ at busy Bristol road junction
Bristol Post, 9 June 2021

Bedminster begins campaign to remove the two big billboards of North Street Green
Bristol Post, 2 June 2021

Call for local billboards to be removed
The Pigeon, June 2021

May 2021

Adblock Bristol: Creating Space for What We Really Need to Thrive
Going for Gold Bristol / Bristol Bites Back Better, 21 May 2021

APRIL 2021

Badvertising – when ads promote fossil fuels and overconsumption
Restart Podcast Ep. 63, 29 April 2021

Así desafían colectivos de artistas los mensajes engañosos de las empresas de energías fósiles
(Translation: ‘This is how artist collectives challenge deceptive messages from fossil fuel companies’)
elDiario.es, 20 April 2021

March 2021

Advertising with a conscience
The Lancet Planetary Health, March 2021

Brixton Road digital billboard refused planning permission after campaign
SW Londoner, 19th March 2021

Bristol becomes first UK city to ban ads for junk food, payday loans and gambling
The Bristol Cable, 16th March 2021

Campaigners Welcome Bristol City Council Ban on Junk Food Adverts but Demand More
Bristol 24/7, 12th March 2021

Bristol City Council bans adverts for junk food, alcohol, and gambling
Bristol Post, 12th March 2021

Bristol becomes first city outside London to restrict junk food advertising
Sustain, 10th March 2021

February 2021

New report slams advertising regulator
Ecohustler, 24th February 2021

Plans for Brixton Road digital advertising billboard met with resistance
SW Londoner, 19th February 2021

Removing outdoors adverts is essential to reclaiming the urban commons
Minim magazine, 16th February 2021

Adblock Lambeth campaign group battle huge digital advertising screen on Brixton Road
Brixton Buzz, 12th February 2021

November 2020

HSBC publicly slammed for being the worst of a bad bunch of banks
Ecohustler, 11th November 2020

Interview with Adam Crowther about Adfree Cities conference (audio, from 3:42:25)
Breakfast on BBC Radio Bristol, 7th November 2020

Bristol City Council Considers Ban on Adverts for Junk Food, Polluting Cars and Gambling
Bristol 24/7, 4th November 2020

Bristol City Council could ban junk food adverts
Bristol Post, 4th November 2020

October 2020

Brandalism group take action against city advertisers – with quote from Adblock Brum
The Birmingham Press, 29th October 2020

More Art, Fewer Ads
Permaculture Magazine, Winter 2020

August 2020

Badvertising – is changing the advertising industry the next step in speeding transition?
Resilience, 25th August 2020

How outdoor advertising can deepen inequality
BBC Worklife, 20th August 2020

Bill-bored – residents say no to giant advert screens
South Bristol Voice, August 2020

July 2020

Protest Against Digital Advertising Screens on Bath Road
Bristol 24/7, 20th July 2020

April 2020

Billboard likely to be removed as it has never had planning permission
Bristol 24/7, 16th April 2020

January 2020

The growing global movement to end outdoor advertising
Equal Times, 13 January 2020

December 2019

How big advertisement companies are taking away people’s daylight
The Independent, 16th December 2019

November 2019

Robbie Gillett interview on BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight, 8th November 2019

October 2019

Robbie Gillett interview on BBC Radio Bristol ahead of the #AdfreeCities conference, 26th October 2019

Renaud Fossard from Resistance a l’agression Publicitaire interview on BBC Radio Bristol ahead of the #AdfreeCities conference, 26th October 2019

September 2019

Campaign grows to block plans for digital billboards in Bristol
Bristol Post, 18th September 2019

New artwork in St Werburghs aims to capture your mind not your wallet
Bristol Post, 4th September 2019

August 2019

Residents fears over digital billboard proposal at busy Gloucester Road junction
Bristol Post, 12th August 2019

June 2019

Leigh from Adblock Bristol appeared on Ujima Radio’s Women’s Outlook show to discuss the fight against outdoor advertising in Bristol. From 26th June 2019, listen again here.

We are not buying it
ecohustler, 13 Jun 2019

March 2019

New digital ad billboard on M32 is ‘brutal monolith’ say local people
Bristol Post, 13th March 2019

Three billboards to be removed in St Werburghs
Bristol Post, 12th March 2019

Advertising billboards in Bristol ‘should be capped’ and no more planning permission granted 
Bristol Post, 9th March 2019

February 2019

Campaigners call for outdoor adverts ban in Cardiff
BBC News, 7 February 2019

Dozens object to ‘eyesore’ digital billboard playing six ads a minute on road to Bristol Airport
Bristol Post, 5th February 2019

Art in Ad Places
Vocalise Bristol, Issue 9, Jan-March 2019 (Page 23)

November 2018

BT ‘in talks’ with council to bring controversial InLinks to Bristol despite drug dealer fears
Bristol Post, 16th November 2018

October 2018

BBC Radio Bristol interview with Robbie Gillett (Adblock Bristol) – clip available on request
20th October 2018

‘Monstrous’ and ‘distracting’ – dozens of Bristolians slam plans for new digital billboards over main road
Bristol Post, 15th October 2018

St Werburghs billboard art focuses on mothers’ aspirations
Bristol 24/7, 8th October 2018

August 2018

BBC Radio Bristol interview with Nicola Round (Adblock Bristol) and Councillor Carla Denyer
4th August 2018

July 2018

‘Sexist and objectifying’ billboard provokes anger from Bristol anti-advertising campaigners
Bristol Post, 24th July 2018

Why people are angry about 35-foot high advertising boards coming to Bristol City Centre
Bristol Post, 5th July 2018

Anger as Broadmead bike racks removed to make way for digital advertising hoarding
Bristol Post, 5th July 2018

June 2018

A billboard for art, not ads
Vocalise Magazine, Summer 2018 edition

May 2018

Could fast food advertising soon be banned in Bristol?
Bristol Post, 16th May 2018

Parks aren’t there for making money
The Bristol Cable, 11th May 2018

Bristol parking charges to go up as park cuts approved. But large-scale, high-impact, advertising will not be rolled out
Bristol Post, 2nd May 2018

April 2018

BBC Radio Bristol: morning show
25th April 2018

Easton residents object to plans for huge digital billboard in Stapleton Road
Bristol Post, 18th April 2018

Bristol’s new phone boxes could end up spying on you
Bristol Cable, 17th April 2018

BT’s new InLink WiFi portals will introduce dozens of new security cameras to Bristol streets
Bristol Post, 12th April 2018

BT plan to replace Bristol’s telephone boxes with these modern wifi portals
Bristol Post, 4th April 2018

March 2018

How are you? Grab a pen… What happened when one Bristol billboard was covered over and free pens were handed out
Bristol Post, 26 March 2018


‘Low impact’ advertising in parks to be considered despite public opposition
Bristol Cable, 21st March 2018

Money from advertising billboards in parks ‘not worth it’
Bristol 24/7, 21st March 2018

Beyond Consumerism – interview with Adblock Bristol
Ethical Consumer Magazine, 19th March 2018

Huge billboard near Bristol’s bearpit ‘never had planning permission’
Bristol Post, 7 March 2017

February 2018

People in St Werburghs take their battle with advertising giant onto the streets
Bristol Post, 23rd February 2018

St Werburghs Billboard showcases Art Not Ads
Bristol 24/7, 26th February 2018

January 2018

BBC Radio Bristol: evening show (clip coming soon)
30th January 2018

‘Keep Bristol’s parks advert-free’ petition gains thousands of signatures
Bristol Post, 29 January 2018

Do you want advertising in your parks?
The Bristol Cable, 26th January 2018

Newly erected Old City billboard considered ‘unacceptable’ by council
Bristol 24/7, 16th January 2018

December 2017

Anti-consumerism campaigners slam proposal for adverts in Bristol parks

Bristol Post, 28 December 2017

April 2017

Can Bristol go ad free? BBC Points West talk to Adblock Bristol
BBC Points West, April 2017