A French civil court has ruled that oil and gas giant TotalEnergies misled consumers in a 2021 advertising campaign that claimed the company could become carbon neutral by 2050, marking the first application of France’s greenwashing law against an energy firm.
The court ordered the company to remove all misleading statements about carbon neutrality and the energy transition from its website and to post a link to the ruling for 180 days, under threat of a daily fine of €20,000. TotalEnergies must also pay €8,000 in damages to each of the three NGOs—Friends of the Earth France, Greenpeace France, and Notre Affaire à Tous—and €15,000 to cover legal costs.
The ruling found that TotalEnergies’ use of the Paris Agreement to frame its strategy was deceptive, as the company continues to expand oil and gas production. Citing analyses from the International Energy Agency (IEA), UN Environment Programme, and IPCC, the court said the firm gave consumers the false impression that purchasing its products supported a low-carbon transition.
Statements ordered for removal include TotalEnergies’ ambition “to become a major actor in the energy transition” and “carbon neutral by 2050, together with society,” as well as claims to “place sustainability at the heart of its strategy” and to provide “more energy, less emissions.”
The company said the decision concerned “general mentions” of its ambitions rather than specific marketing campaigns and added it would “draw the conclusions of this judgment regarding the content of its website.”
Environmental groups hailed the verdict as a landmark victory. “This is the first time in the world that a major oil and gas firm was found liable for misleading the public by greening its image,” they said in a joint statement.
The case comes amid growing EU scrutiny of greenwashing claims, with proposed bloc-wide penalties still under discussion. Despite its rebranding in 2021 and a stated commitment to renewables, EU data shows that over 97% of TotalEnergies’ 2024 revenue still came from fossil-based activities. A separate criminal investigation into the company’s practices remains ongoing.
