The Paris Judicial Court has ruled against TotalEnergies in a significant greenwashing case, determining that the French energy giant’s claims about its role in the energy transition and carbon neutrality goals were likely to mislead consumers. The court ordered the removal of several sustainability claims from TotalEnergies’ website.
This decision follows a lawsuit initiated by Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France, and Notre Affaire à Tous, with support from environmental law organisation ClientEarth in 2022. The lawsuit challenged TotalEnergies’ “reinvention” campaign, which portrayed the company as a leading figure in the energy transition with a 2050 net-zero ambition. The plaintiffs argued this falsely suggested the company was adequately addressing the climate crisis.
The ruling marks the first instance a court has found a major oil and gas company’s net-zero by 2050 narrative to be misleading and unlawful. ClientEarth lawyer Jonathan White stated, “This landmark judgment sends 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.”
The court identified deceptive commercial practices by TotalEnergies, noting that claims about its “ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050” and “to be a major player in the energy transition” were misleading to consumers regarding the company’s environmental commitments. It ordered TotalEnergies to cease communicating these statements on its website, including assertions such as “We place sustainable development at the heart of our strategy, our projects, and our operations to contribute to the well-being of populations” and “More energy, fewer emissions: this is the dual challenge we must take on alongside our stakeholders to contribute to the sustainable development of the planet and address the climate challenge.” The company has one month to comply, after which it will face a fine of €10,000 per day.
Additionally, the court instructed TotalEnergies to prominently display a link to the court’s ruling on its website and to pay €8,000 to each of the organisations that brought the case, along with €15,000 for their legal costs.
While the court found TotalEnergies’ claims misleading, it dismissed allegations concerning the company’s promotion of gas as a less carbon-intensive fossil fuel and biofuel as a low-carbon alternative.
In a statement to ESG Today, a TotalEnergies spokesperson acknowledged the court’s ruling, noting that the judgment does not affect its past or current advertising campaigns related to its electricity and gas offerings in France, but only general statements on its website. The company will assess the impact of the judgment.
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