Red lines for climate-related advertising

The letter, sent by ClientEarth, Fossielvrij NL, and Reclame Fossielvrij to airlines at Amsterdam Schiphol, details the legal boundaries for climate-related advertising following a court ruling that KLM's claims about 'sustainable' flying and CO2 compensation were misleading. It argues that aviation growth is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and warns that the industry's 'licence to grow' communication strategy likely violates the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD).

• The Amsterdam District Court ruled on 20 March 2024 that KLM's advertisements suggesting flying can be sustainable or that 'compensation' products reduce the climate impact of flying are "misleading and unlawful", violating the Unfair Commercial Practices Act.
• Airlines should avoid claims that they are acting in line with the Paris Agreement or moving toward 'net zero' by 2050 if they are failing to achieve substantial emissions reductions due to continued growth. The court found that measures like fleet renewal and SAF only provide a "marginal reduction" in CO2 emissions.
• The term "sustainable aviation fuel" (SAF) and the phrase "more sustainable aviation fuel" are considered misleading. Airlines are advised to use factual descriptions such as "used cooking oil biofuel", "rapeseed crop biofuel", or "synthetic fuel".
• Claims that financial contributions to reforestation or nature development projects can neutralise or compensate for a customer's CO2 emissions are prohibited, as no direct link exists. This is supported by the KLM judgment and new EU legislation effective from 2026.
• The aviation industry is identified as a "highly polluting industry" due to its CO2 emissions, non-CO2 warming effects, and local air pollution. Under EU guidance, such industries may be required to explicitly state that their products have an overall negative environmental impact.
• Continued aviation growth is deemed inconsistent with the Paris Agreement. Research commissioned by Schiphol Airport suggests that a 30% CO2 reduction compared to 2019 is needed by 2030, and that "significant demand management measures" are the only viable way to meet the 1.5°C goal.
• The document describes a "licence to grow" communication strategy used by the aviation industry, including IATA's 'Fly Net Zero' initiative, to protect the industry's ability to expand despite climate risks. The European Commission is currently investigating 20 EU airlines for similar misleading claims.

APA

ClientEarth (2024). Red lines for climate-related advertising. https://www.clientearth.org/media/mfghjfem/letter-to-schiphol-airlines-18072025-corrected.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Red lines for climate-related advertising. 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/mfghjfem/letter-to-schiphol-airlines-18072025-corrected.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Red lines for climate-related advertising |date=18 July 2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/mfghjfem/letter-to-schiphol-airlines-18072025-corrected.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2024red, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Red lines for climate-related advertising}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/mfghjfem/letter-to-schiphol-airlines-18072025-corrected.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }