News flash
- A French court has ruled that TotalEnergies engaged in “misleading commercial practices” by overstating its climate commitments, marking the first global ruling against a major oil company for climate-related misinformation.
The Paris court found that TotalEnergies misled consumers by promoting its goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 while continuing to expand oil and gas production. The company was ordered to remove several claims about its climate ambitions from its French websites within a month.
Environmental groups, including Greenpeace and ClientEarth, hailed the decision as a landmark victory against greenwashing, saying it sets a legal precedent for holding corporations accountable for deceptive environmental messaging.
ClientEarth lawyer Jonathan White said the ruling sends “a clear warning to other oil and gas majors” that portraying fossil fuel expansion as part of a green transition could carry legal consequences.
The case originated from a 2022 lawsuit by three NGOs accusing TotalEnergies of falsely promoting itself as an energy transition leader. While the court dismissed some claims relating to gas and biofuels, it ruled that references to achieving “net zero by 2050” were misleading.
TotalEnergies said it would comply with the ruling and review its website content but did not confirm whether it would appeal.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
