Flixbus convicted of greenwashing in Belgium

The Belgian Federal Public Service for Economy has won a legal battle against the German transport company Flixbus. As part of a European investigation, the economic inspectorate discovered that Flixbus was guilty of various forms of greenwashing on its Belgian website. This is the first time in Belgium that the FPS Economy has obtained a company’s conviction for misleading environmental claims.

The company presented itself on the website as “the most environmentally friendly means of transport.” It used words like “environmentally friendly” and “climate-friendly,” but these claims were not substantiated. The site even featured advertisements about the environmental benefits of Flixtrain, which is not available in Belgium.

Legal proceedings

Flixbus was allowed to adjust the claims voluntarily but did not take up the opportunity. Legal proceedings were then initiated in Germany. After several appeals, the German Federal Court of Justice ruled against Flixbus. The transport company must remove the misleading claims from its website.

Misleading environmental claims

“This is an important victory in the fight against greenwashing,” said Lien Meurisse, the spokesperson for the FPS. “The ruling sets a legal precedent to help consumer authorities take action against companies that make misleading environmental claims.”

Consumer organization test Aankoop/Test Achats welcomes the Court’s conviction. “It is necessary to tackle greenwashing, particularly in the passenger transport sector,” explains Jean-Philippe Ducart, spokesperson.

He recalls that European consumer protection organizations filed a similar complaint with the CPC in 2023, targeting 17 airlines. The aim was to denounce misleading claims, making people believe it is possible to fly “green” or “sustainably.”