TotalEnergies has refuted fresh greenwashing allegations after a new ruling by a Paris court. The court ruled that claims made by the oil company on its site concerning its role in the energy transition and its carbon neutrality goals are likely to mislead consumers.
In a press statement issued by the French energy giant, TotalEnergies acknowledged the decision but stated that the court rejected most of the claims brought against the company.
According to TotalEnergies, the Paris court dismissed requests around a communication campaign linked to its name change from “Total” in 2021, about the company’s promotion of gas as a less carbon-intensive fossil fuel, and of biofuel as a low-carbon alternative.
The suit, filed by Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France and Notre Affaire a Tous, and backed by environmental law organization ClientEarth in 2022, argued that TotalEnergies’ claiming to be a major player in the energy transition, and its 2050 net zero ambition, falsely portrayed the company as being prepared to address the climate crisis.
The judge declared that TotalEnergies committed deceptive commercial practices by making claims on its website about its “ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050” and “to be a major player in the energy transition,” which would most likely mislead consumers about the company’s environmental commitments.
The court thereby ordered the company to quit passing such messages on its website, issuing a one-month deadline for TotalEnergies to comply to avoid a €10,000 per day fine.
Reacting, TotalEnergies noted that the judgment only concentrated on 3 paragraphs on the customer website of its French subsidiary, criticizing the company “for not having specified the scenario on which TotalEnergies’ multi-energy (oil, gas, electricity) transition strategy is based.”
The French energy giant revealed that it does not intend the ruling, and it will instead replace the paragraphs on its site with a clearer description of its accomplishments in the implementation of its multi-energy strategy.
TotalEnergies concluded by highlighting its energy transition activities to date, including investing over €20 billion in low-carbon energy globally since 2020 and boosting electricity production from near-zero in 2020 to 50 TWh currently.
“With all due respect to all those who want to continue accusing us of “greenwashing” despite everything we have already accomplished for the energy transition in France and around the world, we are proud to put all our energies into serving the daily lives of our customers, to contribute to global energy security, and to participate in the construction of the energy system of tomorrow,” a statement read.
