In a groundbreaking ruling hailed by activists as a global first, a French court has found TotalEnergies guilty of “misleading commercial practices” for overstating its climate ambitions, ordering the oil and gas giant to remove certain environmental claims from its public materials.
The verdict — the first of its kind worldwide against a major oil company for climate misinformation — could set a powerful legal precedent for how corporations promote their environmental credentials amid tightening EU green advertising regulations.
The Paris civil court ruled that TotalEnergies misled consumers through statements on its French website suggesting the company could reach carbon neutrality by 2050 while simultaneously expanding its oil and gas production.
However, the court dismissed parts of the complaint concerning the company’s promotion of fossil gas and biofuels as “clean” energy sources.
A Historic Win Against Greenwashing
Environmental law group ClientEarth — one of the organizations following the case — called the decision a “historic win against greenwashing.”
“This is the first judgment in the world ruling that an oil and gas major has misled the public by greening its image,” ClientEarth said.
Greenwashing refers to the practice of portraying a company or product as more environmentally friendly than it truly is.
Jonathan White, a lawyer for ClientEarth, said the ruling sends a “clear warning shot” to fossil fuel companies everywhere:
“Claiming to be part of the energy transition while backing new oil and gas projects now carries a proven legal risk.”
Activist groups Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France, and Notre Affaire à Tous — the plaintiffs in the case — also celebrated the outcome, calling it “a major legal precedent against climate misinformation.”
Court Orders TotalEnergies to Remove Misleading Claims
The lawsuit, filed in March 2022, accused TotalEnergies of misleading consumers with advertising claims about its ability to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 “together with society” while maintaining high levels of fossil fuel output.
The court has now ordered the company to remove specific statements relating to carbon neutrality and the energy transition, including:
“Our ambition is to be a major player in the energy transition while continuing to meet the public’s energy needs.”
“Our ambition is to contribute to reaching net zero by 2050, together with society.”
TotalEnergies has one month from receiving the ruling to comply, and its French consumer gas and electricity subsidiaries must publish the court’s decision on their websites.
The case builds on a growing European trend of courts cracking down on environmental misrepresentation by large corporations.
Earlier rulings found Dutch airline KLM (2024) and Germany’s Lufthansa (March 2025) guilty of misleading customers about their climate efforts.
Activists say the French decision against TotalEnergies goes further — marking the first time an oil and gas multinational has been held legally accountable for greenwashing its image.
Juliette Renaud, from Friends of the Earth France, noted the contradiction at the heart of the case:
“There’s a huge gap between TotalEnergies’ claims of carbon neutrality and its actual activities, which remain overwhelmingly dependent on fossil fuels.”
The ruling underscores how companies once seen as shaping the energy transition are now being challenged in courtrooms for how they communicate it — potentially reshaping corporate climate messaging across the globe.
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