KLM has been found guilty, in its native Netherlands, of ‘greenwashing’ – or exaggerating its environmental conduct in order to improve its image.
The Dutch flag carrier – part of the Air France-KLM group – was found to have misled customers through its advertising, by a Dutch Court, Reuters has reported.
The lawsuit was taken – and won – by activist group Fossil Free, which claimed KLM’s ‘Fly Responsibly’ marketing campaign was misleading.
“A number of advertisements made by KLM in the past were misleading and therefore illegal,” the court said.
Despite the ruling, KLM did not receive any punishment from the court.
According to Reuters, Air France-KLM chief executive Ben Smith said the court case had been an inconvenience, with him claiming the aviation group and its airlines are not greenwashing and are taking steps to reduce emissions.
