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Net Zero or Carbon Neutral or Climate Neutral are different names for the same thing: the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere equals the amount removed from the atmosphere.
This is the goal set by the Paris Agreement for 2050, because it is the only way we can stop global warming. And thus, it becomes an end 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 or 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 change 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 largest oil companies in the world, 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 that it would become carbon neutral in the coming years is misleading, because it is not backed by an action strategy, especially since the company's plans are to further increase oil and gas production, with the group already producing the equivalent of three million barrels of oil per day.
Vasile Lazăr, sustainability consultant: "A company's commitment can be honest, but as long as it is not accompanied by an action plan through which consumers can verify step by step the company's fulfillment of that commitment, 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in turn, sued the NGOs, and the case has not yet been resolved by the judges, the incriminated advertisement was withdrawn from the media. I only found articles discussing 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, through which they target certain aspects related to sustainability and promise to measure their carbon footprint, offset it, be greener, reduce environmental impact, etc. Such as, for example, Environmental Commitment.
Vasile Lazăr: "A year has passed since this commitment was publicly communicated and appeared all over the mass media. Many companies rallied to it. But I have not yet 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 on the same platform the progress of the companies that have made the commitment towards the targets they have set."
Certainly, I do not dispute, nor do I say that none of the signatories have done anything related to the commitments made, only that on the same platform there is no information related to the progress in 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 carbon footprint of the signatories, or a larger statement, a discussion, a conference, a status report. This is how responsible and transparent communication is made regarding companies' claims in sustainability. Otherwise, those claims are considered an act of greenwashing.”
This is the third case study I conducted with sustainability consultant Vasile Lazăr, out of a total of six concrete examples of greenwashing.
The first case study was about the Kaufland Zero Waste campaign.
The second case study was about the KLM Fly Responsibly campaign.
In the coming days, the remaining examples will be published here, on eEco. And finally, the full interview.
The purpose of this endeavor, unique in Romania, is to explain the phenomenon of greenwashing as clearly as possible, through concrete examples, so that we can all learn something from it. Companies, how to communicate more responsibly. And people, how not to be so easily fooled.
