Brussels — The German Federal Court of Justice has fined coach transport company Flixbus for making misleading environmental claims on its Belgian website, following an investigation led by the Belgian Economic Inspectorate.
The ruling, which was delivered on 20 February, is seen as a significant victory against greenwashing, according to the Belgian Economy Ministry.
The investigation, part of a broader European effort to combat deceptive environmental marketing practices, revealed that Flixbus had falsely advertised its coaches as “the most environmentally-friendly means of transport” without providing sufficient comparisons or justifications.
Additionally, the company promoted the environmental benefits of the ‘Flixtrain’—a service not available in Belgium—and offered customers an option to offset CO2 emissions without being transparent about the actual emissions generated by their journeys.
“These types of misleading environmental claims are unacceptable,” said Etienne Mignolet, spokesperson for the Belgian Economy Ministry, in a press release.
“This is an important victory in the fight against greenwashing. The ruling also sets a legal precedent that will help consumer authorities take action against companies that use misleading environmental claims.”
The Belgian Economic Inspectorate initially alerted Flixbus to the misleading content, giving the company an opportunity to voluntarily amend its website.
However, after Flixbus failed to comply, the matter was escalated to the Umweltbundesamt, Germany’s Federal Environment Agency, which pursued legal action. The German court’s decision now obliges Flixbus to remove all misleading claims from its website.
While Flixbus has already made adjustments to its website in response to the ruling, the Belgian Economy Ministry noted that certain elements of greenwashing persist.
The Ministry emphasized that the case not only highlights the need for greater scrutiny of environmental claims but also reinforces the importance of transparent and truthful advertising practices.
The case is expected to set a precedent for other consumer authorities across Europe to tackle greenwashing more effectively.
Mignolet expressed hope that the ruling would encourage companies to adopt more responsible marketing strategies, ensuring that consumers are not misled about the environmental impact of the services they use.
Flixbus has not yet issued a public statement regarding the fine or the court’s decision. As the company works to align its marketing practices with the ruling, consumer advocates are calling for increased oversight of environmental claims made by businesses across the transport sector.
