Airlines given a month to act on misleading ‘greenwash’ claims

Letters have been sent to the unnamed carriers identifying several types of potentially misleading green claims and inviting them to bring practices in line with EU consumer law within 30 days.

Watchdogs in Belgium, Netherlands and Spain focused on claims made by airlines that CO2 emissions could be offset by climate projects or using sustainable fuels, to which consumers could contribute by paying additional fees. 

The commission said: “On their part, the airlines are yet to clarify whether such claims can be substantiated based on sound scientific evidence.”

The action comes after the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority rapped Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Etihad in December for similar claims about the environmental benefits of travelling with them. 

The commission said airlines were “creating the incorrect impression that paying an additional fee to finance climate projects with less environmental impact or to support the use of alternative aviation fuels can reduce or fully counterbalance the CO2 emissions”.

They also criticised the use of the term sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) without justifying its environmental impact and said airlines were guilty of using “green”, “sustainable” or “responsible” in misleading ways.

Carriers were also warned against claims they were moving towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions or any future environmental performance “without clear and verifiable commitments, targets and an independent monitoring system”.

They were also criticised for using CO2 emissions calculators for flights without providing sufficient scientific proof of whether calculations were reliable.

The commission warned of enforcement if airlines did not make amends.

Trade body Airlines for Europe (A4E) said difficulties arose from current regulations varying between countries but added: 

“We are particularly concerned about the remarks on sustainable aviation fuel and the requirement for a clear justification of their environmental impact. The EU has implemented an ambitious SAF mandate, supported and endorsed by the European Commission, and the science supports that this is a more sustainable alternative to regular jet fuel.”
 
A4E said it was in talks to develop a common system for airlines to communicate sustainability efforts.