A Dutch court found KLM guilty of greenwashing – Kommersant
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Amsterdam District Court has concluded, that KLM airline in its advertising portrayed an overly positive and at the same time unrealistic picture of improving environmental performance. According to the court, the airline misled consumers with its overly vague promises in this area and its overly positive portrayal of the use of environmentally friendly aviation fuel. The decision does not provide for any punitive measures against KLM, but, according to the court, in the future the airline should communicate its plans of this kind more “honestly and specifically.”
The lawsuit alleging so-called greenwashing – deceiving consumers through statements about its initiatives aimed at protecting the environment – was filed against KLM by the environmental organization Fossielvrij. She fights to reduce harmful emissions and reduce the use of fossil fuels. One of the Fossielvrij members, Hiske Aarts, called the Amsterdam court’s decision “a landmark victory in the fight against greenwashing.” However, according to the organization, this is only the first step, since there are many similar advertisements. KLM said it was pleased with the court’s decision as it did not impose any penalties and provided “clarity” regarding advertising requirements.
Recently, environmental organizations have increasingly accused companies of greenwashing. Thus, in 2022, the French environmental organization Zero Waste France filed lawsuits with such accusations against sports equipment manufacturers Adidas and New Balance. The EU and US authorities are also noticeably tightened fight against greenwashing. December became knownthat the British regulator will check Unilever’s claims about the environmental friendliness of its products.
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