ASCI partners with digital creators to raise awareness on greenwashing and dark patterns

New Delhi: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has initiated its first influencer-led campaign to increase awareness of greenwashing and dark patterns, practices that can manipulate consumer choices online. The initiative is part of ASCI Academy’s broader efforts to help consumers navigate advertising more critically.

The campaign uses influencers to highlight how to evaluate sustainability claims, decode eco-labels, and separate genuine commitments from marketing buzzwords. It also addresses dark patterns, design elements like basket sneaking, hidden costs, or confusing choices that can push users into unintended decisions.

Participating influencers include Shraddha Jain, Aalekh Kapoor, Sakchi Jain, Ashutosh Pratap Singh, Pankti Pandey, Vinod Kumar, Aisha Ahmed and Sangeeth and Kavya.

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General of ASCI, said, “Consumer education is a key pillar of ASCI Academy. In addition to Ad-Wise, which is our school programme to build advertising literacy amongst a million school students, we are hoping to harness the credibility of voices trusted in the digital sphere to raise awareness around the two misleading practices of greenwashing and dark patterns. We want consumers to spot red flags and critically question claims they encounter in advertising.”

ASCI Academy has also recently introduced an e-learning course titled ‘Ethical UI-UX Designs’. The course guides advertisers on removing dark patterns, covering deceptive tactics, their effects on consumers, and compliant alternatives aligned with ASCI codes.
Its 2024 report, Conscious Patterns, found that 52 out of 53 leading Indian apps used dark patterns such as drip pricing and privacy deception, which can limit user autonomy.

The council’s guidelines on environmental claims, introduced the same year, have led to the modification of 236 misleading claims in advertising. These initiatives complement the Ministry of Consumer Affairs’ Central Consumer Protection Authority regulations on dark patterns, targeting deceptive advertising-specific design practices.

The campaign and education efforts are conducted under ASCI Academy, supported by companies including Diageo India, Hindustan Unilever, Mondelez International, Nestle, Cipla Health, Coca-Cola, Colgate, Games 24x7, Pepsico, P&G, Kenvue, and Bajaj Auto.