The Facebook ads, which ran in October 2022, featured a plane while claiming Etihad understood "the impact flying has on the environment" and took a "louder, bolder approach to sustainable aviation".
But the Advertising Standards Authority said in a statement on Wednesday that there were "currently no initiatives or commercially viable technologies in operation within the aviation industry which would adequately substantiate an absolute green claim such as 'sustainable aviation'".
ASA "concluded... that the claim exaggerated the impact that flying with Etihad would have on the environment and the ads breached" the regulator's advertising code.
The watchdog asked Etihad to clarify the basis for any future claims "to ensure that their ads did not give a misleading impression".
It noted Etihad was taking "steps to reduce the environmental impact of its service" -- but contrasted this with the "high levels" of damaging emissions produced by aviation.
"We acknowledged Etihad's comments about the use of modern aircraft and flight practices to reduce emissions," it said.
"We understood, however, that air travel continued to produce high levels of CO2 and non-CO2 emissions which were making a substantial contribution to climate change."
One of the ads also stated Etihad was cutting back on single-use plastics as part of its measures.
Yet the ASA said that such initiatives were "not adequate substantiation to evidence a 'sustainable aviation' claim".
In response, Etihad highlighted climate initiatives and its target to reach "net zero" carbon emissions by 2050.
However, the ASA argued that "many of these initiatives were targeted to only deliver results years or decades into the future".
Major companies are frequently accused of "greenwashing" by environmentalists, who call out corporate efforts to promote often spurious environmental measures to boost their reputation.
ASA had last month slammed German airline Lufthansa for a "misleading" poster advertisement claiming it was "protecting" the planet.
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