The consumer regulator in Denmark has reported BMW, the German carmaker, to the police, based on Reutersfor a marketing campaign in which BMW calls itself “the world’s most sustainable car manufacturer,” which the consumer regulator says is misleading, possibly because BMW may not be the world’s most sustainable automaker.
Danish Consumer Inspector press release on the matteras translated by Google, interestingly:
BMW Denmark was reported to the police after using statements in a marketing campaign in 2021 and 2022 that, in the opinion of the Consumer Ombudsman, are suitable to give consumers the impression that BMW cars are significantly less harmful to the environment than other cars.
During the campaign, BMW used, among other things, statements such as “The world’s most sustainable carmaker”, “There is sustainability in every car BMW makes” and “The entire BMW iX production line is green” on BMW’s website, in a Facebook ad, on street ads in Copenhagen and/or in ads on Berlingske’s website.
The Consumer Ombudsman has assessed that the claims are misleading and therefore in violation of the Marketing Act, because of the measures BMW takes to manufacture cars in a way that is less harmful to the environment than the environmental and sustainability measures of similar automakers. In the opinion of the Consumer Ombudsman, these claims also make BMW cars appear to be less harmful to the environment than they really are.
Take that, BMW, said in a statement that they are collaborating, according to Reuters:
Responding to the statements in a separate statement, BMW said, “it is working actively with the inspector and police, and providing the necessary information”, adding that it was unable to comment further on the ongoing case.
However, it’s not clear exactly what the end result is here according to the inspector’s website, “In the case of serious violations of consumer protection laws that are punishable, the Consumer Ombudsman handles cases for criminal penalties,” which sounds dramatic, although so does reporting a company to the police. The inspector’s website also says it has about 30 employees, including an attorney named Christina Toftegaard Nielsen, who leads the agency and is quoted in a BMW press release, who can now tell people that BMW has been reported to the police.
