Copenhagen City Court in Denmark has fined KLM DKK3 million (R7,5 million) for greenwashing after finding that the airline presented itself as being more sustainable than it actually was.
The case followed a complaint by the Danish Consumer Ombudsman over a 2023 advertising campaign in which KLM claimed it was taking “a big step towards travelling a little more sustainably” and suggested that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was included in all tickets.
In its ruling, the court found that the campaign was likely to give consumers the impression that flying with KLM offered greater environmental benefits. The court noted that KLM was supplying only 1% SAF through the fuel system at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol at the time, which it said did not align with what an average consumer would understand from the advertisements.
The court also found that the campaign overstated the significance of KLM's sustainability initiatives and lacked sufficient clarity, concluding that the claims were capable of influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions and amounted to misleading marketing.
