The Competition and Market Authority imposed a fine of 5 million euro to the company Eni for the dissemination of misleading advertising messages used in the promotional campaign concerning fuel Eni Diesel+, is regarding the statement of positive environmental impact connected to its use, and to the characteristics of this fuel in terms of savings in consumption and reductions in gaseous emissions. This was stated in a note from the Guarantor.
The deceptiveness of the messages derived primarily from the confusion between the advertised product EniDiesel+ and its component Hvo biodiesel (Hydrotreated vegetable oil), called by Eni “Green Diesel”, attributing to the product as a whole environmental claims that are not founded.
The messages used the designation "Green Diesel", the qualifications "green component" and "renewable component", and other environmental protection claims, such as “help protect the environment. And by using it you do too, thanks to a significant reduction in emissions”, although the product is a automotive diesel which by its nature is highly polluting and cannot be considered "green".
Furthermore, some of the boasted characteristics of the product, relating to the reduction of gaseous emissions “up to 40%”, CO emissions2 of the 5% on averageand consumption “up to 4%”, were not confirmed by the preliminary findings, as partial and inadequately contextualised.
During the proceeding, the Eni company initiated the interruption of the aforementioned campaign and undertook to don't use anymore, with reference to automotive fuels, the word "green".
However, the group did let it be known that it learned "with surprise" of the Antitrust decision and reiterates that "the distinctive trait of the Diesel+ product is its HVO component (Hydrotreated vegetable oil) which, thanks to a revolutionary hydrogenation process of vegetable oils, the result of research efforts and the innovative capacity of Eni laboratories, gives Diesel+ fuel absolutely unique properties from an environmental point of view". "It is intuitively evident - continues the press release released by Eni - that the possibility of replacing the fossil component with a higher percentage of renewable component is in itself a solution capable of reducing the environmental impact of fuel". In conclusion, "the company therefore reserves the right to evaluate the reasons for the provision for the purposes of its appeal to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court".
Updated at 13:51pm Wednesday January 15, 2020
