Delft joins The Hague, Utrecht in banning fossil fuel ads in public spaces

Delft’s city council voted Thursday to ban fossil fuel advertising in public spaces, joining The Hague and Utrecht in efforts to restrict promotions for gas contracts, cruise trips, and airline tickets. The council passed a motion urging the municipal government to present a plan for the ban before the end of 2025.

Rinske Wessels of GroenLinks, who initiated the motion, said, “The municipality sets goals on health and climate, but meanwhile, you see advertisements everywhere offering products and services that worsen our health and climate problems. With this motion, we have asked the city council to at least set limits on fossil fuel advertising.”

The ban follows a recent court ruling in The Hague that upheld the city’s similar ban on fossil fuel advertisements. The court rejected objections from travel groups ANVR and TUI, who challenged the ban claiming it violated free speech and entrepreneurial rights and questioned its impact on emissions. The court ruled that the municipality’s reasons for the ban were well substantiated and allowed its continuation, stating, “Every little bit helps and the municipality wants to do its part.”

The advertising ban in The Hague, effective since January 1, applies to fossil fuel–related products, including airplane travel. While companies can still advertise their brand names or green products, a transitional arrangement has delayed fines until May 1. The court also dismissed claims that the ban is disproportionate, noting the conflict between public health interests and commercial advertising favors public health. Utrecht’s city council approved a similar ban this month, to be incorporated into local regulations (Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening, APV).

The grassroots movement Reclame Fossielvrij (Fossil-Free Advertising) praised these developments. Founder Femke Sleegers said, “Now that the court has made it clear that municipalities have full authority to prohibit climate-damaging advertisements, more cities will follow.”

Meanwhile, the province of Noord-Holland recently decided against banning ads for meat, fish, petrol cars, and air travel due to an expected loss of about 20,000 euros in revenue. Frank Radstake, director of ANVR, expressed disappointment over the court ruling and said, “We will study the documents closely, but we are disappointed by this verdict, and we are looking into the possibilities to appeal the decision.”