Volkswacht Bodensee - France's TotalEnergies to face court in June in 'greenwashing' case

The case stems from a March 2022 lawsuit by three environmental groups accusing the French energy giant of "misleading commercial practices" for saying it could reach carbon neutrality while continuing oil and gas production.

The company "should not be allowed to promote these claims to consumers, which are contrary to reality", said Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France and Notre Affaire a Tous on Friday.

"Its strategy to expand fossil fuel production is clearly at odds with the science-based imperative to rapidly and significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce fossil fuel use," the groups added.

The environmental organisations demanded that the court order "the immediate cessation... of misleading commercial practices", said Greenpeace legal director Apolline Cagnat, a ruling that could have major implications for companies' climate pledges.

TotalEnergies pushed back against the allegations, saying "its role in the energy transition is reliable and based on objective, verifiable data".

Without clear standards, companies have promoted their environmental policies using vague terms like "green" or "sustainable" in a practice activists call "greenwashing".

Environmental groups in recent years have turned to the courts to establish case law on companies misleading consumers by appearing more eco-friendly than they are.

In Europe, courts ruled against Dutch airline KLM in 2024 and Germany's Lufthansa in March over misleading consumers about their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of flying.

Starting in May 2021, TotalEnergies advertised its goal of "carbon neutrality by 2050" and touted gas as "the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions".

The company, which was holding its annual shareholder meeting in Paris on Friday, said oil and gas are needed to meet global energy demand but insists it is "becoming the most committed major company to the energy transition".

Paris police pushed back environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion Friday morning after they tried to enter the headquarters of BNP Paribas, accusing the bank of funding fossil fuels through its ties with TotalEnergies.

The proceedings against the world's fourth-largest oil and gas company are unprecedented in France, according to Greenpeace.

The court will rule "on whether advertising gas as essential to the energy transition is legal, despite concern over its climate impact", said the group.

A greenwashing case against Australian oil and gas producer Santos, challenging its claim to be a "clean fuels" company, has been ongoing since 2021.

C.Bruderer--VB