On 7 November 2025, the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) announced that 21 major European airlines have formally pledged to cease making misleading environmental claims, notably regarding flight emissions offsetting and sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).
Fuel Dumping: What Is It and How Bad is it for the Environment?
Among the carriers involved are are Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, EasyJet, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, TAP, Transavia France, Transavia CV, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air. The move follows mounting regulatory scrutiny from the European Commission and national consumer‑protection authorities over claims that flights can be “carbon‑neutral” or “fully compensated”.
Airlines’ Specific Commitments
BEUC (with 23 of its member organizations) launched the action against several airlines in June 2023 and since then has been monitoring the market since then. In a press release by the European Union in 2024, European Commission and the CPC network, identified the carriers above involved in the following ‘potentially’ misleading practices:
| Misleading Practice | Description |
|---|---|
| Overstating SAF benefits | Suggesting that paying extra for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) or climate projects fully offsets CO2 emissions, without scientific proof. |
| Absolute environmental claims | Using terms like “green,” “sustainable,” or “responsible” without qualifiers, implying full environmental benefit. |
| Unverified net-zero promises | Claiming progress toward net-zero emissions or future environmental performance without clear targets, independent monitoring, or verifiable commitments. |
| Inaccurate CO2 flight comparisons | Comparing CO2 emissions across flights without providing accurate or sufficient information on how the calculations were made. |
| Unreliable CO2 calculators | Providing flight-specific CO2 calculators without transparency on methodology or scientific validation of results. |
| Unsupported SAF impact statements | Mentioning sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) without clearly explaining their actual environmental effects. |
in June 2025, evaluation found out that despite some improvements, airlines’ greenwashing was still rife. Now, airlines will refrain from misleading statements suggesting that a passenger’s flight emissions can be neutralised or offset entirely through SAFs or climate‑projects. They are also required to provide transparent emission calculations, ensure any “green” claims are backed by robust scientific evidence, and remove vague language implying environmental benefit.
For example, Lufthansa’s “Green Fares” product – which promised a 20 % emission reduction by choosing an “Economy Green” ticket – has been flagged as part of the misleading claims issue, reported politico.eu:
Lufthansa’s “Green Fares” promises consumers — simply by “selecting one of the Economy Green and Business Green fares” — to slash 20 percent of individual flight-related CO2 emissions through the use of SAFs and to offset the remaining emissions “to an equivalent extent by contributing to high-quality climate protection projects” — a reference to offset credits. KLM told consumers that they could reduce their carbon footprint thanks to SAF and a “reforestation program.”
Meanwhile, KLM’s previous campaigns suggesting that flying could be “more sustainable” via SAFs and tree‑planting programs are also drawn into question. In 2022, the airline faced a lawsuit over their “Fly Responsibly” campaign, which described KLM’s “commitment to taking a leading role in creating a more sustainable future for aviation”. But Johnny White, lawyer at ClientEarth, said in a press release that was quoted in CNBC that KLM’s claims were not entirely true:
“While climate experts warn we need to reduce air traffic to keep a just and liveable world within reach, KLM and the airline industry are continuing to focus on growth at any cost and lobbying intensively against climate regulation….It’s now or never for climate action. Airlines cannot be allowed to compete for business on claims that they are tackling the climate crisis, when the reality is they are fuelling it.”
Regulatory Framework and Consumer Law Surrounding Aviation’s Green Initiatives
The Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) is a network of national authorities tasked with enforcing consumer protection legislation across the European Union. Coordinated by the European Commission, the CPC has the authority to address issues that span multiple EU countries, ensuring consistent protection for consumers throughout the bloc.
Under the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation, the CPC can:
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Investigate cross-border consumer concerns.
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Take coordinated action against unfair or misleading commercial practices.
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Facilitate information sharing between enforcement authorities in different EU member states.
In addition to national regulators, consumer associations such as BEUC (The European Consumer Organisation) play a key role. Under the European Green Deal, the European Union stated out its goal was “to better equip consumers with clear and reliable
information on the environmental impact of a product or a service”., whilst also stating that consumers need to be protected against misleading climate-related claims – that are collectively dubbed “greenwashing”.
| Legal/Regulatory Instrument | Key Provisions | Relevant Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Articles 5, 6, 7 of the UCPD (Unfair Commercial Practices Directive) | Forbids unfair or deceptive practices toward consumers, including misleading statements or omissions in business-to-consumer interactions. | Applies broadly across the EU internal market to ensure fair commercial behavior. |
| European Commission Guidance on UCPD | Provides detailed instructions on identifying and interpreting misleading environmental claims. | Helps enforcement authorities determine which “green” claims may be considered deceptive. |
| Directive on empowering consumers for the green transition | Prohibits claims that a product is carbon-neutral, has reduced impact, or positively affects the environment through offsetting, and sets rules for claims about future environmental performance. | Strengthens protection against misleading sustainability and climate-related marketing. |
| Proposed Green Claims Directive (March 2023) | Requires businesses to provide evidence supporting environmental claims and to clearly indicate which portion of the claim is based on their operations versus purchased offsets. | Ensures transparency and accountability in explicit environmental claims; currently under proposal. |
23 of its member organizations of BEUC that launched action against European Airlines in June 2023
The following table gives us a cue about the 23 member organizations with whom the BEUC worked to take the decisive action to show that European airlines were misleading their customers. Agustín Reyna, Director General of BEUC, was buoyed with the decision of making airlines responsible for their misleading words:
“It is excellent news airlines have agreed to stop luring consumers with green promises following our complaint to the European Commission. It was high time airlines stopped painting flying as a sustainable option. Paying ‘green fares’ to plant trees can never guarantee to suck aircraft emissions out of the air. This money-making business does not help consumers nor the environment.”
