Consumer watchdog ACM is working with European consumer organisations to combat what they consider to be misleading sustainability claims in aviation. These consumer regulators are calling on 20 European airlines to adjust their sustainability claims. “The airlines must stop misleading consumers by false sustainability claims within 30 days,” the organizations said in a press release on Tuesday. Names of the airlines in question are not mentioned. The joint action was launched after a complaint from the European consumer organisation BEUC, of which the Consumers’ Association is a member. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is one of the lead regulators in this action. According to the regulators, many airlines make sustainability claims that violate the law. ‘They do this, for example, by exaggerating the impact of the use of ‘sustainable’ fuel or by offering CO2 compensation without clearly indicating that this has no consequences for the negative environmental impact of the flight itself. This makes flying seem more sustainable than it actually is’, says ACM. “Companies need to be honest and clear in their communication about their sustainability efforts. Only then will consumers be able to make good environmentally conscious choices,’ says Cateautje Hijmans van den Bergh, Member of the Board of ACM.
She continues: ‘Flying is and will remain a polluting mode of transport. That is why we are calling on the airlines to stop making misleading sustainability claims.’ According to ACM, several misleading sustainability claims have been found among European airlines.
The airlines have been held accountable for the following claims, which according to ACM are misleading: -use of absolute sustainability claims such as ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ and ‘responsible’ and associated visual claims such as green leaves. -suggest that CO2 emissions from a flight can be reduced or eliminated by investing in climate projects or by paying extra for ‘sustainable’ fuel (‘sustainable aviation fuel’). -use of the term ‘sustainable’ fuel without explaining what the sustainability benefit is. It should also be made clear that this fuel is currently very limited in availability and is therefore used in very small quantities. -claiming that aviation will achieve certain sustainability goals in the future without explaining what steps are being taken and how this is being monitored. -provide the consumer with a calculator that allows you to calculate your CO2 emissions from your flight without substantiating the method used. -provide consumers with a comparison of CO2 emissions per flight without an explanation of what this is based on. The airlines are now being held accountable for their individual claims, which the organizations say are misleading. They will have 30 days to amend or remove their claims. The EU regulators will also engage with the airlines. If the companies do not adapt or do not adapt sufficiently, the national authorities can start a follow-up process and impose sanctions. (Photo Shutterstock).
