TotalEnergies, Net Zero campaign

Net Zero, Carbon Neutral, or Climate Neutral are different terms for the same concept: the amount of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere is equal to the amount removed from the atmosphere.
This is the goal set by the Paris Agreement for the year 2050, because it is the only way we can stop global warming. It thus becomes an objective in itself for nations, including Romania.

However, governments will not be able to achieve this objective without the involvement of the private sector. So, it is encouraging to see so many companies wanting to contribute and announcing their intention to become Net Zero in the next 20 to 30 years. This is the only way we have a chance to keep the global average temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era, as scientists have determined is necessary, if we want to avoid irreversible climate changes and increasingly severe effects.

The problem arises when these intentions cannot be supported by concrete action plans. This is the case with the French company TotalEnergies, one of the world's largest oil companies, accused by several NGOs of violating European consumer law through its Net Zero campaign.

Non-governmental organizations say that the advertisement in which the company announced it would become carbon neutral in the coming years is misleading because it is not supported by an action strategy, especially since the company's plans are to continue increasing oil and gas production, with the group already producing the equivalent of three million barrels of oil per day.

Vasile Lazăr, sustainability consultant: "The company's commitment may be honest, but as long as it is not accompanied by an action plan through which consumers can verify step by step the fulfillment of that commitment by the company, that action, that publicly communicated commitment, becomes an act of greenwashing."

Although the company in turn sued the NGOs, and the case has not yet been clarified by judges, the impugned advertisement has been withdrawn from the media. I could only find articles talking about the lawsuit, not the actual advertisement.

Greenwashing by association. Examples from Romania

Sustainability consultant Vasile Lazăr, with over 20 years of experience in the field, sees examples similar to what is happening in France also in Romania. Where several companies associate in public commitments, targeting specific aspects related to sustainability and promising to measure their carbon footprint, offset it, be greener, reduce their environmental impact, etc. An example is Angajament pentru Mediu (Commitment for the Environment).

Vasile Lazăr: "A year has passed since this commitment was publicly communicated and appeared all over the media. Many companies have joined it. But I still haven't seen results communicated on the same platform. Because it is normal for a consumer, once informed of the existence of such a commitment on a platform, to be able to verify the progress of the companies that made the commitment towards their established goals on that same platform.

Of course, I don't dispute, I'm not saying that none of the signatories have done anything related to the commitments made, but there is no information on the same platform regarding the progress of those commitments.

In the West, such initiatives are increasingly subject to civil actions from non-governmental organizations, lawsuits, because they want to see the progress of companies in fulfilling those commitments. Whether it's a small step, a link to the signatories' carbon footprint, or a larger statement, a discussion, a conference, a status report. This is how companies communicate responsibly and transparently regarding their sustainability claims. Otherwise, those claims are considered an act of greenwashing.”