" TotalEnergies on trial in landmark greenwashing case in France", 5 June 2025

The civil case stems from a March 2022 lawsuit by three environmental groups accusing the French energy giant of "misleading commercial practices" for saying it could reach carbon neutrality while continuing oil and gas production.

Starting in May 2021, TotalEnergies advertised its goal of "carbon neutrality by 2050" and touted gas as "the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions".

At the time, the company had also changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies to emphasise its investments in low-carbon energy, such as electricity.

The plaintiffs have logged around 40 "false advertisements" in their lawsuit.

The ads "don't sincerely reflect the reality of TotalEnergies' operations", Apolline Cagnat, a legal counsel at Greenpeace, told AFP.

Cagnat said the NGOs want the court to send a "strong signal" to fossil fuel companies by ordering "an immediate stop, under penalty, of the misleading commercial practices".

TotalEnergies disputes the charges, insisting the messages are part of its institutional communication, regulated by financial authorities -- not consumer law...

TotalEnergies maintains it has not engaged in misleading commercial practices.

The company says it plans to show that its messages "about its name change, strategy and role in the energy transition are reliable and based on objective, verifiable data".