As the fight against climate injustice intensifies for communities on the climate frontlines, the Paris Judicial Court has set a precedent, issuing a historic decision condemning TotalEnergies for deceptive commercial practices.
In 2021, TotalEnergies launched a communications campaign, changing its name from Total to TotalEnergies, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and positioning itself as a major player in the energy transition.
Following this, a legal action was initiated in 2022 by Friends of the Earth France, Greenpeace France, and Notre Affaire à Tous, with the support of ClientEarth, denouncing the move as greenwashing.
The court ordered TotalEnergies and TotalEnergies Electricité et Gaz France:
1. To stop their false allegations within one month, under penalty of a provisional penalty of 10,000 euros per day of delay,
2. To publish the court decision on the homepage of their website www.totalenergies.fr visibly for 180 days.
This is the first time anywhere in the world that an oil and gas major has been convicted by a court for misleading the public by greenwashing its image regarding its contribution to the fight against climate change, strengthening the fight for consumer protection and climate protection.
Speaking after the ruling, by the French courts, which have now paved the way for other similar actions in Europe and around the world, Edina Ifticene, campaign manager at Greenpeace France, said “With more than 97% of its energy production coming from hydrocarbons and nearly 80% of its investments still oriented towards fossil fuels, Total continues to aggravate the climate crisis, while claiming to contribute to its resolution.”
Edina applauded the historic court decision, saying it finally prohibits the multinational from hiding the damage it causes behind green communication artifices.
Juliette Renaud, coordinator of Friends of the Earth France, highlighted the multinationals’ oil and gas expansion on all continents, and particularly in Africa, at the cost of serious human rights violations and irreversible environmental and climate damage.
“The multinational is particularly determined to restart its mega Mozambique LNG gas project, despite an alarming security and humanitarian context. This project alone would contribute to the production of between 3.3 and 4.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent,” she said.
Emphasizing the significance of the victory for environmental responsibility, Nnimmo Bassey, Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said, the court’s decision to hold TotalEnergies accountable for misleading consumers about its net-zero promises makes it clear that companies cannot get away with “greenwashing”.
“This win highlights how crucial it is for companies to be transparent and take genuine climate action,” said Nnimmo, adding that the expectation is to see more legal challenges against corporations whose stock trade is to sell misleading environmental claims to continue their “planet-burning actions.”
Emphasizing the need to curb errant and misleading commercials at the expense of local communities, Dickens Kamugisha, the CEO of Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), said it is important that oil companies are compelled to tell the truth and called the ruling a great victory.
“They are expanding oil and gas production, including in Uganda, while abusing community rights, risking biodiversity conservation, and tipping us closer to worse climate impacts. Total’s greenwashing needs to be stopped, and we are happy that the court agreed with civil society,” he said.
As COP30 approaches, this verdict may shape how negotiators and watchdogs view corporate pledges. Pushing back against the climate disinformation they orchestrate is a major step towards the energy transition.
