Eurowings is no longer allowed to advertise flights as “CO₂ neutral”.

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Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings: “Eurowings is trying to use this trick to distract from the climate-damaging nature of its business model.”

Photo: Christof; Stache / AFP

Eurowings misled consumers with its advertising promises. The Cologne regional court came to this conclusion. According to the court ruling, the German airline is no longer allowed to advertise air travel as “CO₂ neutral”. The regional court rated the advertising as “unfair” and “misleading,” as the ruling states. The German Environmental Aid (DUH) had sued. Eurowings says it is considering contesting the ruling.

Specifically, it was about an advertisement from the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings, in which it promoted compensation for its air travel: »Travel CO₂-neutrally. Together we will make flying more sustainable: offset CO₂ emissions and take off.«

The court explained that this suggests to consumers that they can compensate for the flight in full. However, the compensation projects listed are not suitable for actually compensating for the flight's emissions.

“With this trick, Eurowings is trying to distract from the climate-damaging nature of its business model,” accused Jürgen Resch from DUH of the airline. Eurowings is acting “misleadingly” when the company uses forest protection projects for compensation that are only guaranteed for a few years. "With its ruling, the Cologne Regional Court fully confirmed our legal opinion."

KLM also found guilty of greenwashing

Last week, the Dutch airline KLM suffered a legal defeat in a similar case. As with Eurowings, it was about the accusation of greenwashing. An Amsterdam court ruled that KLM misled consumers with “vague and general” information about its climate protection efforts. The airline also painted a “too rosy picture” of the impact of measures such as the use of sustainable fuels and the reforestation of forests.

Eurowings itself regretted “that the court did not follow their argument” and is now considering whether to lodge an appeal. The negotiation was about a version of the website from 2022, which has since been extensively revised.

eru/AFP