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TotalEnergies to Appeal French Fine as Court Delivers Landmark Greenwashing Verdict

By  |  November 18, 2025
France, startups, venture capital, investment, business

French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies said on Tuesday that it plans to appeal a decision by the French Competition Authority that imposed a financial penalty over the company’s petroleum supply practices in Corsica. The company stated that the sanction was excessive and signaled that it may reassess its commercial operations on the island. According to Reuters, TotalEnergies argued that the penalty was disproportionate in relation to the profitability of its Corsican activities.

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    “Given the disproportionate nature of the fine compared to the profitability of its operations on the island, TotalEnergies has decided to initiate a strategic review of the conditions for continuing its marketing activities in Corsica,” the group added.

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    The antitrust ruling emerged alongside a separate legal case that began in 2022, initiated by Friends of the Earth France, Greenpeace France, and Notre Affaire à Tous, with support from ClientEarth. Per Reuters, the court examined the company’s rebranding campaign following its 2021 shift from Total to TotalEnergies, concluding that the communication surrounding the new name misrepresented the firm’s environmental commitments.

    Environmental groups said the decision marked a significant step for consumer protection and efforts to curb misleading corporate climate claims. They highlighted that this is the first time a major global oil and gas producer has been found guilty of misleading the public through greenwashing regarding its role in combating climate change.

    The court determined that TotalEnergies had “engaged in misleading commercial practices by disseminating, on the website www.totalenergies.fr, messages based on claims about their ‘ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050’ and ‘to be a major player in the energy transition’ that were likely to mislead consumers about the scope of the Group’s environmental commitments.”

    As a result of the ruling, the court ordered TotalEnergies and its electricity and gas subsidiary to halt the contested claims within one month or face a penalty of €10,000 for each day of noncompliance.

    Source: Reuters