TotalEnergies misled consumers with climate claims, French court rules

A Paris civil court, acting on a lawsuit brought by environmental organizations, found that TotalEnergies misled consumers by overstating its climate ambitions. The court ordered the company to take corrective action and imposed penalties.

As ESG Today reported, in a landmark ruling issued on October 23, the Paris civil court found that TotalEnergies had engaged in “misleading commercial practices.” The court said this was because the company had stated on its website and in communications with the public that it intended to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and become “a major player in the energy transition.”

In reality, however, the company continued to expand its oil and natural gas production, which the court said was inconsistent with claims about climate neutrality. Specifically, the court found that such statements “may mislead consumers” about the company’s actual environmental commitments.

The case was brought before the court by three environmental non-governmental organizations: Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France and Notre Affaire À Tous, supported by the legal group ClientEarth. The court found the company liable and, as a corrective measure, ordered it to remove from its websites a number of statements it deemed misleading. These included statements about the company’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, its claim that “sustainable development is at the heart” of its strategy, and its assertion that it is a major player in the energy transition.

The French energy giant is also required to publish a link to the judgment on its website. The court further awarded each non-governmental organization compensation to cover its legal costs.

Although the ruling is relatively narrowly focused, as the court dismissed other claims concerning the company’s communications about natural gas and biofuels, it is significant because this is the first time a major oil and gas company has been held liable for misleading environmental claims under French consumer law.

The ruling comes at a time when scrutiny of so-called “green claims” and corporate communications about sustainability is increasing across Europe. The EU has also introduced its own legislation on the matter. For consumers, this reinforces the importance of critically assessing companies’ statements about their climate commitments; for businesses, it underscores the legal risks if those statements do not reflect the reality of their operations.