Dutch court finds KLM ads were misleading in 'greenwashing' case

Campaigner Hiske Arts of Fossil Free, the group that led the suit, said she was thrilled with the decision. "The court could not have been clearer: companies are not allowed to claim they are tackling dangerous climate change when in reality they are fuelling the crisis." Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith called the suit an "inconvenience". "We are not greenwashing," he said at a press conference, arguing the company is taking steps to reduce its emissions.

A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday that KLM had misled customers with an advertising campaign aimed at improving the company's environmental image, in a case of so-called "greenwashing". The decision, which comes at a time when regulators are more closely scrutinizing environmental claims, is an important victory for climate change activists who claimed KLM's "Fly Responsibly" campaign was misleading given all aviation is a source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The court agreed but did not impose any punishment on the company, the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM. "Several advertisements made by KLM in the past were misleading and therefore illegal," the court said in a summary of the judge's written decision.

However, the company will not be forced to issue any rectification and may continue to advertise to customers despite calls for a blanket ban. In the future, it must be "honest and concrete" about environmental claims, the court said. Campaigner Hiske Arts of Fossil Free, the group that led the suit, said she was thrilled with the decision.

"The court could not have been clearer: companies are not allowed to claim they are tackling dangerous climate change when in reality they are fuelling the crisis." Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith called the suit an "inconvenience".

"We are not greenwashing," he said at a press conference, arguing the company is taking steps to reduce its emissions. It plans to do so by purchasing more efficient planes and mixing more biofuel into the kerosene that fuels its fleet.

Fossil Free's position is that plans are not as relevant as the present danger, and such changes are marginal, especially as the company plans to grow flight volumes.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)