In a groundbreaking legal victory for environmental advocates, a Paris court has ruled that French oil giant TotalEnergies misled consumers with exaggerated climate commitments and false claims about its environmental leadership. The court ordered the company to remove misleading green messaging from its website, marking the first time a major oil corporation has faced legal penalties for greenwashing.

The lawsuit, filed in 2022 by Greenpeace France, Friends of the Earth France, and Notre Affaire à Tous with support from ClientEarth, challenged TotalEnergies’ 2021 rebranding campaign. When the company changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies, it promoted ambitious goals including carbon neutrality by 2050 and a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The campaign also touted natural gas and biofuels as environmentally friendly transition fuels.

However, environmental groups presented compelling evidence that contradicted these green claims. Despite its public rhetoric about fighting climate change, TotalEnergies continues pursuing major new fossil fuel projects across Iraq, Denmark, Tanzania, and Uganda. This expansion directly undermines both the company’s stated climate commitments and its public messaging about environmental responsibility.

“It sends a signal globally that the oil and gas industry’s common transition claims are misleading,” said Johnny White, a ClientEarth lawyer. “From now on, when companies pursuing fossil fuel expansion use this type of narrative, it is neither credible nor legally safe.” The ruling establishes important legal precedent that could influence how energy companies communicate their environmental efforts worldwide.