Is it enough to add an option for sustainable flying to your flight ticket? According to European associations that have lodged complaints with the European Commission, this practice, which is generalized by companies, is “misleading”.
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23 associations from 19 countries announced on Thursday that they are filing a complaint against 17 airlines, which they accuse of “greenwashing” (eco-washing) and “deceptive business practices”.
The federations, members of the European Bureau of Consumers Unions (BEUC), criticize the companies for “implying that air transport can be sustainable, green and environmentally friendly,” explain the CLCV and the UFC-Que Choisir in a joint press release. who belong to the applicants.
“None of the strategies of the aviation sector is currently able to limit the emission of greenhouse gases,” it says. They believe it is “essential to put an end to these allegations because if air travel continues to increase, emissions will continue to increase for years to come.”
The Commission confirmed that it had received the complaint and a spokesman reminded that “the fight against greenwashing and misleading environmental claims in general is a priority for the Commission”.
According to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the aviation sector carried 4.5 billion passengers in 2019 and was responsible for 2.4% of global CO2 emissions. It should return to pre-pandemic levels this year and double by 2050.
CO2 supplement
The associations are targeting the “considerable surcharge” that the companies want to pay.
This sum is intended on the one hand to compensate for the CO2 emissions of a flight, for example by planting trees – a mechanism with “strongly criticized climate benefits, while the damage caused by the CO2 emissions of air travel is undeniable” – and on the other hand it contributes to development sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which will make up “at most a minor proportion” in aircraft tanks, according to the associations.
The targeted companies are Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, TAP, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air.
Contacted on Thursday, Air France-KLM said it was “very careful about the accuracy of its messages” and recalled being “the first green fuel buyer in the world” in 2022.
Air France states that it does not offer a “carbon emission compensation scheme outside of mandatory regulatory mechanisms”, but rather an “environmental option” offered to customers.
“With the amounts collected,” customers can “contribute to the development of sustainable aviation fuel production chains,” said a spokesman.
Europe’s leading airline organisation, Airlines for Europe (A4E), responded on Thursday that airlines recognize “the importance of transparent communication on sustainability issues”.
Offsetting mechanisms “now play a role”, but their importance will diminish as aircraft become lighter and less fuel-efficient and as investment in SAF increases, according to Airlines for Europe, which has a target of zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
“Transparency”
“It is unacceptable that airlines can boast about their commitment to the climate,” said Marie-Amandine Stévenin, President of UFC-Que Choisir.
The associations are hoping for a joint decision to “ban any claim aimed at giving consumers the impression that flying is an environmentally friendly practice”.
Here are the responses from other companies surveyed by AFP:
- Lufthansa: The first European airline group stated that it relies on “continuous dialogue” with its customers. On the “Compensaid” website, the company claims to have collected 4.5 million euros in contributions intended mainly for the purchase of SAF.
- Finnair: A spokeswoman said the company would investigate the associations’ complaint. “This is an area that is constantly evolving and very complex,” said the spokesman for the Finnish company.
- SAS was surprised by this criticism and stated that they felt very committed to this transformation and were careful not to mislead when marketing it. “Common guidelines would be desirable,” said a spokesman for the Scandinavian company.
Very few individual customers, around 1%, pay compensation for their flight, airlines agree.
“Consumers are obviously suspicious and unsure of what they’re actually buying,” Geoffrey Weston, airline consultant at Bain & Company, told AFP in early June.