In the latest updates, the European Commission has started investigations against 20 airlines with misleading Greenwashing practices. The investigations and measures are being issued conforming alerts from the European Consumer Organisation, CPC.
European Commission’s Fight Against Greenwashing Practices in Aviation
The Consumer protection authorities from countries Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain, commonly referred to as the CPC network, have recently taken action against 20 airlines. This is related to CO2 emissions caused by flights through airline climate projects or sustainable fuels customers could contribute by paying extra fees.
In the previous article by Travel Radar, our aviation reporter Jasmine Adjallah discussed the Greenwashing problem in aviation. Defining greenwashing as “a form of misleading marketing in which environmentally conscious wording and imagery is used to make the company come across as actively working towards such goals when, in reality, they are not making any notable or impactful sustainability efforts.”
According to the European Commission, the authorities are concerned with the “Unfair Commercial Practices Directive” document, which highlights under Articles 5, 6, and 7 Misleading commercial practices and prohibiting unfair commercial practices.
The practices that the CPC network and the European Commission identified as concerning by 20 airline companies include:
The creation of a misleading impression that the customers paying an additional fee to less influential finance climate projects or supporting the use of alternative aviation fuels will reduce or fully neutralise the CO2 emissions.
The claim that aviation airlines are not using the term “sustainable aviation fuels” efficiently justifies the environmental impact of referred fuels. Lack of scientific evidence on the airline’s flight “calculator” presented by airlines with the CO2 emission calculation, without information about the specification and how the calculation was made. Airline’s flight comparisons with CO2 emissions are not provided with accurate details.
Additionally, the airline misuses the terms “green, responsible, and sustainable” without context or evidence. Lastly, the airline declares that it will proceed with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions without any verifiable commitments or targets.
According to the previous elements of the action, the 20 airlines(which the EU Commission didn’t identify to the public) will have to respond within 30 days to the claim, explaining the proposed measures justifying the misleading marketing claims under the law. If the airlines fail to provide the necessary information and measures regarding the claim, the CPC authorities “will decide of further enforcement actions including sanctions,” according to the European Commission.
Věra Jourová, Vice-President for Values and Transparency, commented:
“If we want responsible consumers, we need to provide them with accurate information. More and more travelers care about their environmental footprint and choose products and services with better environmental performance. They deserve accurate and scientific answers, not vague or false claims. The Commission is fully committed to empowering consumers in the green transition and fighting greenwashing. We expect airlines and any other industry operator to make responsible use of environmental claims“
What are your thoughts about the Greenwashing bad practices in aviation? Please share your experience with us in the comments below!
