Équiterre said it has filed a complaint with the Office de protection du consommateur (OPC) against Toyota because of two advertisements that allegedly promote dangerous driving and omit information on the environmental footprint of Tacoma pickup trucks.
The ads in question, videos, promote the Tacoma pickup truck on social media.
It shows drivers driving vehicles in circles at high speed in what appears to be a desert.
Both ads are similar to what car manufacturers usually do to promote their products. Moreover, Équiterre admits that these complaints could have targeted other products in this industry.
“They are examples of what we are denouncing, but we could have filed a complaint before. Then we could have filed a complaint against other advertisements. We are not specifically targeting Toyota or this model, but these two advertisements show exactly what we wanted to show,” explained Anne-Catherine Pilon, sustainable mobility analyst at Équiterre.
According to the environmental organization, Toyota’s advertisements could contravene article 219 of the Consumer Protection Act (LPC) which prohibits false or misleading representations.
“We are depicting off-road and dangerous driving. These representations do not reflect the normal use of a vehicle by Quebec consumers,” said Mr.e Julien O. Beaulieu, a lawyer specializing in greenwashing, in a press release.
Équiterre also believes that these advertisements could contravene section 228 of the law, which prohibits the omission of important facts in representations to consumers.
“The campaign fails to disclose important information about the risks of reckless vehicle use as well as the high environmental footprint of gasoline-powered vehicles. We therefore present a false or misleading image of reality: we neglect to inform that this type of driving should be avoided, that it is often forbidden to drive in these natural environments and we ignore the ecological footprint. All of this is problematic,” said Anne-Catherine Pilon.
Through this approach, Équiterre wants there to be stricter supervision of the advertising of gasoline vehicles and also aims to influence the ways of doing things in the automobile industry.
“We want the industry to question certain advertising practices,” explained Mr.me Pestle.
Équiterre would like to make the display of information relating to safety and environmental impacts and vehicle prices mandatory to better inform “consumers in a context of climate change,” added Ms.me Pestle.