KLM Sued By Climate Activists, Accused Of “Greenwashing”

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has been sued by a group of climate activists, which have accused the carrier of misleading the public on its environmental protection efforts, a ruse it calls “greenwashing.”

KLM Faces “Greenwashing” Lawsuit Over Climate Change Campaign

The premise of KLM’s latest “Fly Responsibly” campaign is that it is taking its environmental stewardship seriously and working toward the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with the key word being net.

Yes, we are an airline, and we realise that today aviation is far from sustainable, even though we have been – and are – working hard to improve every aspect of our company, our societal role and environmental impact. The aviation industry has the ambition to become net zero by 2050. To underline our commitment, we are developing our own pathway according to the Science Based Targets Initiative.

This pathway consists of several measures, and each one contributes to reducing our CO₂emissions step by step. These include fleet renewal, operational improvements and carbon offsets, but by far the biggest contribution will be made by replacing fossil-based jet fuel with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

Airplanes, even fuel-efficient modern jetliners, burn fossil fuel and are through to contribute to climate change. The idea of “net” zero is that the bad is offset with good…things like SAF or carbon capture or even carbon offsets.

The lawsuit, filed by environmental group Fossielvrij NL, claims KLM violates European consumer law by providing a misleading impression about the sustainability of its flights and its plans to “fight” climate change. Hiske Arts of Fossielvrij NL argues:

“KLM’s marketing misleads consumers into believing that its flights won’t worsen the climate emergency. But this is a myth. We’re going to court to demand KLM tells the truth about its fossil-fuel dependent product. Unchecked flying is one of the fastest ways to heat up the planet. Customers need to be informed and protected from claims that suggest it is not.”

The lawsuit is the first of its kind against an airline and could be a bellwether for similar lawsuits around the world. It will boil down to this: can KLM claim it is taking its environmental impact and duty to the planet and inhabitants seriously when it continues to increase flying?

“It’s now or never for climate action. Airlines cannot be allowed to compete for business on claims that they are tackling the climate crisis, when the reality is they are fueling it.”
– Johnny White, lawyer at ClientEarth

CONCLUSION

KLM faces a lawsuit that will seek to stop if from heralding its environmental bona fides when it is actually increasing flights. Climate activists say the net effect of the action is too little, too late and that KLM is contributing to the problem, not solving it.

Will this force a judge to step into a scientific role in making that determination? This will be an interesting case to watch.

image: KLM