The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it had ordered twenty airlines to explain within thirty days their “potentially misleading” commercial practices in relation to alleged compensation for their CO2 emissions. The companies involved have not been named. In a letter sent to each of them, they are asked to “adapt their practices to EU consumer protection law within 30 days,” the Commission said in a press release.
The companies are suspected of misleading their customers by promoting “climate projects” or other “sustainable fuel uses.” For the company, it was about proposing the payment of additional fees – added to the price of the ticket – to offset the carbon footprint of a flight. Now they must explain these “potentially misleading ecological claims.”
A complaint that dates back to last June
The European executive claims to have been alerted to this issue by the European Consumer Bureau (BEUC), which led to investigations by a series of administrations from several Member States. In France, UFC-Que Choisir welcomed the Commission’s action, pointing out that the airlines’ practices “played with passengers” and “distracted them from real reflection on their way of traveling.”
In Belgium, the consumer protection organization Testachats stressed that the BEUC complaint against these “greenwashing” practices dates back to June 2023. Stating, as some companies have done, that we can “compensate” or “neutralize” emissions of CO2 from your flight.” is objectively incorrect,” and for consumer organizations, “these accusations constitute unfair commercial practices,” Testachats added in a press release.
There is insufficient evidence on the reliability of the in-flight CO2 emissions calculator
Among the other practices highlighted, the Commission mentions the fact of “using the term ‘sustainable aviation fuels’ (CAD) without clearly justifying the environmental impact of these fuels”, or offering the traveler a “calculator” that supposedly quantifies the CO2 emissions from a given flight. This “without providing sufficient scientific evidence on the reliability of this calculation.” The association Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents the voice of large companies in Brussels, was “particularly concerned” because the environmental impact of so-called sustainable fuels must be justified, while these new rules, according to it, have the support of the European Union.
The organization expressed its commitment to continue discussions with the EU on the development of “a common methodology” to promote the sector’s efforts in the ecological transition. The Commission, for its part, indicated that after receiving the responses from the companies summoned to explain themselves, it would bring them together at the same table with the consumer organizations to discuss the proposed solutions.
Source: BFM TV
