Fossil Free South Africa

Exciting news — we’re launching our 2026 community journey 🤩 Join us here: tincture.com/ffsacommunity or at the link in bio 🔗 Take a look at the awesome prizes on offer in the next post 👉🏽

And the giveaway prizes are… 🥁 Take a look at some of the incredible prizes from local businesses that YOU may win if you join and complete our community journey 🎉 Thank you to some of our favourite sustainable and eco-conscious brands! Sign up at: tinyurl.com/ffsacommunity

In the news:🗞📰 The #FossilAdBan campaign is featured in a @news24 article in which @lazz_kat calls for stronger accountability for fossil fuel greenwashing. This follows an ARB ruling lodged by the campaign against @totalenergies ’ claim that consumers could experience “lower CO₂ emissions” through improved engine performance, which was presented without sufficient context, qualification, or accessible disclosure. 🔗Read the story via the link in our bio. #stopgreenwashing #fossiladban #fossiladbansa #fossilfuellphaseout #climateaction

show them some love 🥲

Swipe through for moments from our EcoMaties × Maties Underwater Club collaboration event last Thursday 📸🌊 From engaging discussions with Milan Burnett. The evening was filled with impactful conversations and community. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the event such a success 💙

🌊 Last Thursday’s EcoMaties × Maties Underwater Club x fossil free event was an evening filled with meaningful conversations, learning, and connection. A huge thank you to Milan Burnett for sharing insights on the realities facing West Coast communities in the context of offshore oil and gas development. From powerful discussions to new connections made during the social, the evening reminded us how important it is to create spaces for awareness and action. 💙🌍 Thank you to everyone who joined us! #EcoMaties #MatiesUnderwaterClub #FossilFreeSA #ClimateAction #OceanConservation

ARB upholds #FossilAdBan complaint over CNG environmental claims The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has upheld a complaint lodged by the #FossilAdBan campaign against environmental claims made by CNG Holdings and its NGV Gas division. Our campaign challenged claims on the company’s website describing compressed natural gas (CNG) as “clean”, “green”, “environmentally friendly”, “sustainable” and “the fuel of the future”. The ARB Directorate found that: ⏩ Unqualified terms like “green” and “sustainable” are likely to mislead consumers ⏩ Fossil fuel companies cannot rely on vague transition narratives without clear qualification ⏩Limited emissions comparisons do not justify broad environmental claims ⏩ Omission of lifecycle emissions, including methane leakage and CO₂ emissions, contributes to misleading public impressions The Directorate ruled that these claims breach the ARB Code and Appendix G on environmental marketing claims. As a result, ARB members have been instructed not to publish or accept advertising using broad environmental descriptors for CNG Holdings unless those claims are clearly qualified and contextualised. In the context of South Africa, the environmental claims made by CNG Holdings and its NGV Gas division are problematic because they align with pro-exploration messaging such as “drill, drill, and drill” and the framing of gas as “transition fuel”, both of which support continued fossil fuel expansion. These messages are incompatible with global climate goals and South Africa’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. This ruling marks the third one this year against fossil fuel companies and represents an important step in challenging greenwashing and holding them accountable for misleading environmental claims demonstrating how accountability can pressure corporations to withdraw or change harmful messaging. #fossiladban #stopgreenwashing #climatejustice #fossilfuelphaseout #fossiladbansa #parisagreement

Moved online due to severe weather! Climate Leadership for Just Transition Join us this Tuesday at out staff seminar for a special presentation by @fossilfreesa 📆 Tuesday, 12 May 🕑 13h00 to 14h00 📍 Scan the QR code or see link in story Can't make it in person? Scan the QR code to join online Universities should be pillars of Climate leadership. Fossil Free SA emerged from the 9 year campaign with over 5000 signatures from staff and students culminating in UCT's 2022 commitment to fossil fuel divestment (a prudent financial strategy and condition of moral authority on the climate emergency). What has happened since this commitment? What principles can UCT embrace to lead the way for climate action and a just energy transition in Africa? And, how can staff be part of this?  Universities are the institutions that lead most of the research outlining the scale and severity of the climate crisis, and its probable impacts on Africa. Many South African universities have missions and visions for being centres of social justice and should be communicating the full risks of climate change to society at large, offering social leadership rather than giving the wrong tacit signals to the rest of society. FFSA's Climate Leadership Platform offers a framework for UCT to do this.

The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) upheld a complaint against TotalEnergies South Africa regarding misleading environmental claims made in advertising for its Excellium Diesel D10 product. The ruling found that TotalEnergies’ claim that consumers could experience “lower CO₂ emissions” through improved engine performance was presented without sufficient context, qualification, or accessible disclosure regarding the very limited and vehicle-specific testing on which the claim relied. Importantly, the ARB recognised that consumers could be misled into overestimating the environmental benefits of a fossil fuel product. This matters. Because greenwashing is not simply about inaccurate marketing language. It shapes public perception, influences consumer behaviour, and normalises continued fossil fuel dependence under the impression of sustainability. The ruling also acknowledged a central issue raised by @fossilfreesa : that environmental claims cannot be communicated in ways that imply broad climate benefits where evidence is narrow, conditional, or highly limited. At a time when South Africa is expanding oil and gas exploration and fossil fuel companies increasingly market themselves as part of the climate solution, this decision represents an important moment for accountability. Across the world, regulators, courts, and civil society are beginning to recognise that fossil fuel advertising and climate misinformation are not peripheral issues — they are structural barriers to informed democratic participation and climate action itself. This ruling adds South Africa to that growing global conversation. We welcome the decision and remain committed to advancing transparency, accountability, and informed public participation in the face of escalating fossil fuel greenwashing. #fossiladban #stopgreenwashing #fossiladbansa #fossilfuelphaseout

[Press Statement] In a joint statement by organisations working on opposing fossil fuel advertising, which @fossilfreesa signed and supported, a call was made for a fossil ad ban in Santa Marta. This statement is linked to the first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, which was attended by @noxolomfocwa , #FossilAdBan advocacy campaigner at @fossilfreesa . She said: “Fossil fuel advertising doesn’t just sell products — it sells a false idea of development. This greenwashing actively drives climate obstruction by delaying real solutions, while also undermining free, prior and informed consent by denying communities honest, transparent information. If we are serious about a just transition, we must end the narratives that mislead our people and protect an industry that harms our land, our rights, and our future.” #fossilfueltreaty #fossiladbansa #stopgreenwashing #fossilfuelphaseout

alternative text: when the chatty colleague is put in timeout

Santa Marta marks a turning point in global fossil fuel phase-out talks Represented by @noxolomfocwa , the #FossilAdBan advocacy campaigner at @fossilfreesa attended the first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, alongside a pre-conference workshop on ocean perspectives on fossil fuel phase-out, and the People’s Summit. The first phase of the pre-conference workshop highlighted a critical and consistent concern across 25 countries: offshore oil and gas remains one of the least governed, least transparent, and most exclusionary areas of fossil fuel expansion. Decisions about offshore extraction are often made far from the communities that live with the consequences. Coastal Indigenous Peoples and fisherfolk are too often treated as stakeholders, rather than rights-holders. The second phase of the process, the People’s Summit, resulted in a People’s Declaration for a Rapid, Equitable, and Just Transition for a Fossil Free Future. The first conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels marked a major turning point in global climate action, shifting from debate to implementation on the phase-out of fossil fuels. Key outcomes included commitments to national phase-out roadmaps, a decisive shift from negotiation to implementation, a focus on fossil fuel supply, and the launch of the scientific advisory mechanism to guide transition efforts. It also addressed structural barriers such as corporate influence, Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms, and an unequal financial system, while placing communities and Indigenous rights at the centre of decision-making. False solutions were rejected in favour of real emissions reductions. Importantly, the conference recognised misinformation, advertising, and greenwashing as key barriers to climate action, reinforcing the urgency of initiatives like the #FossilAdBan campaign. This is why many are calling Santa Marta a turning point in climate governance. It broke through years of diplomatic stagnation. #FossilFuelTreaty #stopgreenwashing