TAP and 20 other airlines operating in the European Union (EU) have committed to clarifying their environmental practices due to statements considered misleading by consumer protection entities, the European Commission announced this Friday, 7th.
“Twenty-one airlines have committed to changing their practices regarding environmental claims considered misleading”, says the community executive in a statement.
Specifically, TAP and 20 other air carriers (Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Easyjet, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, Transavia France, Transavia CV, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air) agreed “to introduce changes to their practices”, after a dialogue with the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities.
“All of these airlines have committed to no longer claiming that carbon dioxide emissions from a specific flight can be neutralized, offset or directly reduced through financial contributions from consumers to climate protection projects or the use of alternative aviation fuels,” explains Brussels.
National consumer protection authorities will monitor the implementation of these commitments, in accordance with the calendar communicated by each airline.
“In order to ensure fair competition and a level playing field in the aviation sector, the network will also evaluate the practices of other airlines operating in the single market and, if necessary, will require the same commitments”, it is further stated.
When it comes to TAP, the Portuguese flag carrier said it had already complied with two out of seven adjustments, one of which was precisely to stop saying that emissions from a flight could be offset through contributions to climate projects.
The other commitment already resolved by TAP concerns stopping using unclear or unsubstantiated ‘green’ terminology or images, or implicit environmental claims.
Unfulfilled are commitments related to no longer stating that emissions from a specific flight can be reduced through the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel, no longer using this term without adequate substantiation, no longer making unsubstantiated claims about future environmental targets, no longer resorting to unclear or transparent calculators about pollutant emissions, and no longer making vague or unproven environmental comparisons.
The aviation sector is one of the main responsible for greenhouse gas emissions in transport, contributing significantly to atmospheric pollution.
To combat this, the EU has implemented several measures such as encouraging the use of sustainable aviation fuels, investing in more efficient aircraft technologies and integrating the sector into the European Emissions Trading System.
In its climate goals, the EU also wants to make flights within the community more ecological and sustainable, balancing mobility and environmental protection.