Watchdog group Climate Integrity asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to investigate Qantas' sustainability claims, arguing that the country's largest airline is misleading consumers about the environmental impact of its operations.
What's happening?
In October, Climate Integrity announced that the Environmental Defenders Office had filed a formal complaint with the ACCC on its behalf. In the filing, the research and advocacy alleges that Qantas is greenwashing — an illegal practice in Australia.
The complaint zeroes in on a "fly carbon neutral" initiative in which travelers purchase credits toward eco-friendly initiatives such as rainforest conservation and increasing access to energy-efficient technologies that account for less pollution.
"A Qantas customer choosing the 'fly carbon neutral' option for their flight might think that the climate impacts of their trip have been compensated for or significantly reduced," Climate Integrity Director Claire Snyder said in the release.
It also questioned Qantas' marketing claims promoting sustainable aviation fuels and its goal of reaching "net zero" by 2050, arguing that the company didn't lay out clear and credible transition strategies, according to the release, which cites March's landmark greenwashing ruling against KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for its similarly misleading sustainability claims.
Why is this important?
Reputable carbon offset programs can be part of working toward a cleaner future, but critics argue that a lack of transparency can be one hurdle to measuring their actual impact.
While exciting developments and partnerships surrounding sustainable aviation fuels are underway, consumers interested in making environmentally friendly choices need accurate information as they weigh their purchase options.
"The science is irrefutable: The burning of fossil fuels is the single largest driver of climate change and Qantas has a long-term reliance on fossil fuels," Snyder argued in Climate Integrity's release. "Greenwashing at this scale creates a false sense of progress and undermines the urgent action necessary to reach zero emissions by 2050."
Is Qantas doing anything about this?
In response to the filing, a Qantas Group spokesperson revealed to the Guardian that the airline offered to work with Climate Integrity and has contacted the ACCC.
"We have always acknowledged that aviation is a particularly hard-to-abate sector, but we have a responsibility to do what we can with what's available now," the spokesperson said while affirming the company's commitment to high-integrity carbon offsets as it waits for less polluting technologies and sustainable aviation fuels to become more widely available.
"That's why we launched a $400m climate fund with Airbus to provide direct investments to help accelerate the establishment of a domestic SAF industry as well as high integrity nature-based solutions," the spokesperson told the Guardian. "The journey to net zero emissions won't be linear and one airline will not be able to solve this alone."
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