Santos Ltd., an Australian oil and gas company, refuted greenwashing allegations against it, claiming the accusations ignore the company's years of valuable work toward clean fuels.
What's happening?
The company denied accusations of greenwashing in court. The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility alleges that Santos misrepresented its commitment to eliminating harmful pollution, as the Guardian detailed.
The case began on Oct. 28, focusing on statements made in Santos' 2021 climate reports and a 2020 investor briefing. The ACCR claims Santos deceived investors by referring to itself as a "clean fuels company." Furthermore, the company allegedly presented false information about the pollution released during hydrogen production.
According to the Guardian, Santos' corporate lawyer, Neil Young, argued against these allegations in his closing address. He stated that the climate targets detailed in those reports represented the company's "present intention" and "not a promise or prediction."
Why is the ACCR v. Santos case important?
The historic case brought against Santos is one of the first times a corporation is being held legally accountable for its climate claims.
Santos' reports touted impressive climate goals. The company aimed to decrease pollution by 26-30% by 2030 and reach net zero pollution by 2040, per the Guardian. According to a Pogust Goodhead report, it also referred to its natural gas as a clean fuel.
Beyond the allegedly baseless claims in Santos' reports, its representations also omitted relevant information. For example, Santos' upcoming natural gas commitments would actually increase pollution. Also, many of the claims involved uncertain advanced energy solutions, such as "blue hydrogen," per Pogust Goodhead. The environmental impact of such solutions is still unclear.
Corporations contribute immensely to harmful pollution. According to Oizom, the fuel and energy industry produces more pollution than any other sector. Nevertheless, many oil companies make extraordinary promises and fool the public and investors into believing they're eco-friendly.
What's being done about corporate greenwashing?
Despite what many people think, there are few laws to prevent corporations from saying whatever they want. Some companies flat-out lie, greenwashing their public image. This greenwashing case is one of the first of its kind and can help put an end to all that.
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Corporations will have to take climate change and their contributions to it seriously. The ACCR wants companies like Santos to be held accountable.
It's important to ask these big corporations pointed questions and demand reliable climate information. Hopefully, the ACCR v. Santos case could expose and eliminate some greenwashing and help force corporations to be more environmentally conscious and honest.
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