Stockholm (NordSIP) – In a landmark decision, the Judiciary Tribunal of Paris (Pictured) found TotalEnergies guilty of having engaged in greenwashing by misleading its customers regarding its claims to being a major player in the energy transition and of reaching carbon neutrality in 2050.
In its ruling the court found that “TotalEnergies and its subsidiary TotalEnergies Electricité et Gaz de France had committed misleading commercial practices, by referring to “their ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to be a major player in the energy transition” in their communications to consumers, the day after the announcement of the change of its name “Total” to “TotalEnergies” and the presentation of a new energy mix strategy.”
The French oil major’s claims coincided with the rebranding of the company from Total to TotalEnergies in 2021. However, as of 2024, fossil fuels still represented 97% of the company’s total energy production and 80% of its investments.
The court found that the company had exaggerated its commitments and contributions to CO2 emissions reductions and demanded that it stop spreading these misleading statements within a month of the court-rulling, under penalty of a €10,000 daily fine, after the deadline. The NGOs as
“This decision, which constitutes a major victory against the reign of environmental disinformation, opens the way for other similar actions in Europe and in the world. On the eve of COP30, it also sends a strong signal in favor of the necessary energy transition, while the year 2024 has been marked by the symbolic excess of 1.5 °C of global warming,” comments French NGO, Les Amis de la Terre France.
The French Court also dismissed other accusation according to which TotalEnergies had also engaged in greenwashing regarding its claims about fossil gas and biofuels, noting that the statements had been made for informational rather than commercial purposes. Total Energies said it would comply with the Court’s ruling.
The case follows a decision by a French court in March 2024 to dismiss charges brough by TotalEnergies against Greenpeace, accusing the NGO of “disseminating false and misleading information”, regarding the enrgy company’s climate policy.
“In recent years, TotalEnergies appears to be continuing undeterred with new oil and gas projects while under its own ‘energy transition’ banner – despite stark warnings from both climate experts and extreme weather headlines on what fossil fuel expansion means for current and future generations. “In our view, these claims amount to false marketing with an unfathomable price tag: our very future on this planet. “And now, this landmark judgment has sent a clear warning shot to other oil and gas majors in Europe and beyond: claiming to be part of the transition while backing new fossil fuel projects comes at a tried-and-tested legal price,” ClientEarth lawyer Jonathan White said on this occasion.
