In March 2024, KLM was found guilty of Greenwashing in a Dutch court, on 15 of its environmental statements.
This was the first airline greenwashing case to reach conclusion.
In short, KLM was running ads that included saying that it was moving towards a more sustainable future.
The Court found KLM’s statements to be ‘overly rosy’ in that its current actions did not suggest attainment of the future it was promoting.
Most greenwashing cases to-date have been about companies exaggerating past actions or making specific claims about themselves (ie, “We are environmentally friendly”).
The new direction from prosecutors and courts, held by a New York prosecutor in this case, and now with this Dutch Court ruling, is about companies trying to suggest they are going to do something good in the future and the prosecutors/Courts determining that their current actions will not deliver their future claims. So, not only are companies that are exaggerating their current actions being sued, but companies that are trying to align with future benefits are being sued.
This takes us to the rapid increase in compliance occurring around the world. Bureau Veritas shows 36,665 new environmental compliance regulations around the world since January 2023 – that’s 67 new regulations every day.
The common thread we see in these regulations is – companies will need to become certified via a globally-respected program with 3rd party verification and their claims will need to reside within the boundaries of their certification.
Like it or not, your company will need to prove its environmental responsibility.
If you wish to use this to your advantage, read this on what you want in a sustainability program, watch this master class, and contact us.