Some of Europe’s biggest have voluntarily agreed to rethink how they make environmental claims following accusations that they have been involved in ‘greenwashing’ – which is when a company makes it appear as if they are much more environmentally friendly than they actually are.
21 airlines pledged their support to a new initiative by the European Union’s Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, which aims to prevent passengers from being misled about a carrier’s green credentials.
Some of the biggest airline brands to have committed to the initiative include Germany’s Lufthansa and Dutch flag carrier KLM, along with Air France, Finnair, and EasyJet.
The other carriers who signed up are: Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Luxair, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, TAP, Transavia, Volotea, Vueling, and Wizz Air.
In the last few years, some of these airlines have been accused of making misleading claims that passengers could buy ‘green fares’ or purchase sustainable aviation fuel that would be used specifically for the flight they were taking.
All 21 airlines have promised to make it clear that buying green fares cannot somehow neutralize, offset, or directly reduce the carbon emissions of a specific flight.
Airlines are also going to stop using vague ‘green’ language or terminology without making any specific claims. There could, however, be a lot of work for airlines to undo marketing schemes that airlines have already heavily promoted.
Lufthansa, for example, has expanded its ‘Green Fares’ which promise more sustainable air travel that can “reduce 20% of individual flight-related CO₂ emissions.”
The airline’s current marketing does not explicitly point out that these fares do not apply to specific individual flights, and only recently rolled out the scheme across its worldwide route network.
Sold as completely seperate fares, consumers are told that when they buy a Business Green fare, they will be making a more sustainable choice “by using sustainable aviation fuels.”
Lufthansa, along with other airlines owned by the Lufthansa Group, including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, and SWISS, has yet to change the name of its ‘Green Fares.’
