Consumer Affairs joins authorities in 35 countries to fight "ecoposturing" by airlines

The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda has signed a letter addressed to the aviation industry to combat "greenwashing" (or "ecoposturing") by airlines, which refers to the misleading practices that some companies carry out to offer an environmentally friendly public image that does not correspond to reality. The Ministry led by Pablo Bustinduy carried out this international action through the Directorate General for Consumer Affairs together with 35 countries represented by different consumer protection authorities. The letter calls on airlines to be rigorous in the environmental claims they use in their marketing communication and thus reinforce compliance with consumer protection legislation.

The letter has been promoted by the ICPEN (International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network), an organisation that brings together more than 70 consumer protection authorities from all over the world and in which the Government of Spain participates through Consumer Affairs. In addition to the Spanish administration, a total of 16 consumer authorities are participating in this specific action, including European countries such as Belgium, Denmark and Norway; Latin American countries such as Colombia, Chile and Peru; and countries in Eastern and Southern Africa represented by the COMESA customs union, which includes nations such as Kenya, Angola and Ethiopia.

Recommendations to airlines

The letter sent by these international consumer authorities reminds airlines that they should not mislead their users about environmental issues and makes a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring that their environmental communications comply with consumer protection rules. These recommendations include:

• Communications made must be truthful, clear and accurate and must be supported by scientifically sound and reliable evidence.
• Vague terms such as "green" or "sustainable" that may mislead consumers about the actual environmental impact should be avoided.
• Environmental benefits of minor changes should not be exaggerated.
• The impact, uncertainties and limitations of carbon offset schemes should be clearly explained.
• Uncertain future aspirations such as being "climate neutral" should not be highlighted in communications, only specific measures that have already been taken, or are underway, should be indicated as such.
• Communication on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) should be clear, accurate and not misleading. The aviation industry sees this fuel as a key method of reducing net carbon emissions, but additional information is needed to contextualise its scope for emission reductions.

This action, carried out in the framework of the ICPEN, is part of the commitment of the Ministry of Social Rights and Consumer Affairs to guarantee truthful and transparent information for consumers, an issue of particular relevance when it affects strategic sectors such as air transport, where consumer decisions have a high economic and environmental impact.

Non official translation