From May 1, 2026, Amsterdam legally bans advertising for flights, petrol cars, gas heating and meat products across all public spaces, becoming the first capital city in the world to do so.
Walk through Amsterdam from May 1, 2026, and something is missing from the billboards, bus stops and metro stations. The adverts for cheap flights, petrol cars, gas boilers and meat products are gone. The city council voted 27 to 17 to make Amsterdam the first capital in the world to legally ban fossil fuel and meat advertising from all public spaces.
The ban is not just a policy aspiration. It is a legally binding local ordinance that applies to all advertising operators in the city, whether or not the municipality has a contract with them. That is what makes it different from earlier voluntary agreements, and what makes it a genuine first.
Amsterdam had already taken steps in this direction since 2020, when it became the first city to ban fossil advertising when renewing contracts. This new law closes the gaps, covering operators regardless of existing agreements.
Creatives for Climate, a global network of advertising professionals who supported the ban, described it simply: advertising does not just sell products, it grants social licence. When fossil fuels are promoted alongside everyday life, they feel normal. Removing them from public view changes that framing.
Dutch activists are already pushing for a national version of the law. The Hague passed a similar ban in 2025, and a court upheld its legality under EU law. Amsterdam follows a proven path, with momentum behind it.
A billboard that once showed a petrol car now shows something else. That small change, multiplied across a city, begins to shift what people see as the obvious choice when they make decisions about how to travel, heat their homes and eat.
Source: DeSmog