HSBC Misled Consumers With Its Green Posters, Watchdog Says (1)

HSBC Holdings Plc has been reprimanded by a UK watchdog for violating environmental advertising rules, after it sought to depict itself as a green bank in a set of posters.

In the latest sign that regulators are growing increasingly intolerant of all manifestations of greenwashing, the Advertising Standards Authority said it has ordered HSBC to ensure the posters “not appear again in the form complained of,” according to a statement published Wednesday.

HSBC breached the so-called CAP Code, which relates to non-broadcast advertising and direct and promotional marketing, the ASA said. The bank was told to make sure that “future ...