Brussels — Umbrella European consumer protection organization BEUC and 23 of its members filed a complaint with the European Commission on Thursday against 17 European airlines, saying they misled the public about their environmental policies.
Lufthansa, Air France and Ryanair are among the airlines targeted by a so-called cease-and-desist complaint. The consumer groups claim the airlines breached EU rules on unfair commercial practices.
The 23 member organizations come from 19 EU countries, the BEUC wrote in a press release. The German consumer group VZBV is part of the action, which complains about so-called "greenwashing" practices, in which companies present policies as environmentally friendly when they are not.
"We are calling for a Europe-wide investigation into the issue and for the concerned airlines – and the entire sector – to stop making claims that give consumers the impression that flying is sustainable," the statement said.
"This is simply untrue as flying is not sustainable and is not bound to become so in the near future."
BEUC said its members had found numerous examples of misleading practices. For example, claims that CO2 emissions can be "offset," "neutralized" or "compensated" are factually incorrect. The benefits of offsetting measures are highly uncertain, while the damage caused by CO2 emissions from air travel is certain.
The claim that air travel can be "sustainable", "responsible" or "green" is also misleading.
"None of the strategies employed by the aviation sector are currently capable of preventing greenhouse gas emissions."
Lufthansa said it had taken note of BEUC's announcement but had not yet received any complaints.
"Irrespective of this, we naturally deal with every complaint we receive and examine it carefully," the airline said when queried for a response.
The group is striving for a neutral CO2 balance by 2050. By 2030, net CO2 emissions are to be halved compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures.
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