The Cologne Regional Court, in a landmark decision, has ruled that the airline Eurowings misled consumers with the promotion of their flights as "CO₂-neutral". The lawsuit was filed by the Environmental Action Germany (DUH), which accused the Lufthansa subsidiary of using misleading advertising to divert attention from the climatic harm of their business model. The court ruled that the advertising claims were "unfair" and "misleading," because the promoted compensation projects were not capable of actually offsetting the CO₂ emissions of the flights.

The court's decision makes clear that advertising promises regarding the compensation of CO₂ emissions must correspond to actual circumstances and should not be used to paint an overly positive image of the company with respect to sustainability. The DUH welcomed the ruling as a confirmation of its legal opinion and criticized that the forest conservation projects used by Eurowings for compensation would only offer short-term security.

Eurowings Expressed Disappointment Over the Court Decision and Announced It Would Consider Contesting the Judgment. The Company Pointed Out That the Criticized Advertising Concerned an Older Version of Their Website That Had Already Been Revised.

The verdict joins a series of decisions against airlines that have been sued for allegations of greenwashing – that is, the attempt to present a more environmentally friendly image than is actually the case. Most recently, the Dutch airline KLM suffered a defeat in court in a similar case.

This verdict sends a clear signal to the aviation industry that transparency and honesty in communication about environmental measures are essential to maintain consumer trust and contribute to the fight against the climate crisis.