Amsterdam bans fossil fuel advertising.

From the 1^st of May 2026, advertisements of meat and fossil fuel-related products and services will be banned from public places in the municipality of Amsterdam. This is the 9^th city in the Netherlands and the first capital city in the world to take such a leap – aligning with the city’s commitment to become climate neutral by 2050. The products and services impacted will include flying, cruises, ICE cars, fossil fuels and home energy contracts that run on fossil fuels and will apply to all advertising operators.

This decision came with resistance from opposition parties and companies that own bus shelters – and whose revenues come from advertising – as concerns arose around services suffering from reduced ad revenue. This highlights the root issue – the deep embeddedness of fossil fuels within the advertising industry pushing for carbon-intensive products and services. Studies estimate that fossil fuel companies invest a whopping $7 billion on advertising annually to both promote fossil fuel products and services and distort public understanding of climate change.

Therefore, banning fossil fuel advertising is a powerful move that reduces the influence of fossil fuel companies on driving market demand. For instance, the ban on tobacco advertising and promotion led to an estimated 20% decrease of people smoking and 37% decreased risk of people starting to smoke. This proves that advertising agencies have a responsibility to recognise the role that they play in facilitating greenwashing and the promotion of carbon-intensive products and services. These are known as serviced emissions (or more specifically advertised emissions in this case) which are defined by Empower Agency as “the greenhouse gas emissions that are informed, enabled, or influenced by the advice or services of a professional service provider” – please refer to our guide for membership bodies for more information. Moreover, fossil fuel clients account for less than 1% of advertising agencies’ revenue, strengthening the argument that these firms have both the financial flexibility and ethical responsibility to decline such contracts, regardless of legal requirements.

This also shows that sub-national governments can play a decisive role within the green transition despite what national governments may or may not prioritise. For instance, the state of California remains committed to reducing GHG emissions despite the Trump administration doubling down on fossil fuel extractions. This aligns with a key topic during COP30 on how cities and subnational governments can drive multilevel climate action.

Conclusion and Call-to-Action 

More than 50 cities globally are now taking steps to restrict or eliminate fossil fuel advertising. This signals a broader shift toward subnational governments taking responsibility for the consumption-based emissions associated with the commercial messages they allow within their jurisdictions. Yet, there remains thousands of cities that have not taken such action. Advertising agencies should not wait for legal action before choosing to align their practices with climate responsibility – especially when it is the ethical thing to do. This goes beyond advertising agencies to other professional services providers including but not limited to business consulting, legal, accounting, engineering, and many more.

Therefore, professional bodies are uniquely positioned to communicate this to their members and educate them on serviced emissions. This will help safeguard both individual practitioners and the broader reputation of the profession.

CAFA provides the tools and resources professional bodies need to navigate this. By joining our free membership, you can access the frameworks and support to guide members into leaders. Join us today.