German bus company FlixBus has been sanctioned by the court for misleading environmental promises on its Belgian website.
This decision, which came out of a study by the Belgian SPF Economie, marks an important victory in the fight against greenwashing. The case underlines that companies must carefully substantiate their ecological claims and provide transparency to consumers.
The affair began with a large-scale European surveillance operation called “sweep“, where various sectors were screened for misleading sustainability claims. In Belgium, the SPF Economy examined the FlixBus website and discovered several problematic claims. For example, terms such as “respectful for the environment” and “climate-friendly” were used without concrete evidence or substantiation.
One of the most striking claims was the statement that “FlixBus is the most environmentally friendly means of transport”. This statement was presented without any comparative data or independent studies, which could give consumers a distorted picture of the true impact of the bus service.
"This is an important victory in the fight against greenwashing. The FPS Economy welcomes this ruling. It now states in black and white that such misleading environmental claims are unacceptable and the ruling sets a legal precedent that will help consumer authorities take action against companies that use misleading environmental claims."
In addition, FlixBus offered customers the opportunity to “neutralize” their CO₂ emissions via a compensation program when booking a ticket. However, nowhere was it clearly stated how much emissions a trip would generate, nor how the compensation was actually realized. This lack of transparency was labeled as misleading by the Belgian authorities.
The SPF Economy issued an official warning to FlixBus and requested the company to remove the misleading claims. When FlixBus failed to comply, the case was referred to the German authorities, as the company's headquarters are located in Germany. The German court ruled that FlixBus had to remove the claims in question from its Belgian website, setting a legal precedent.
As a consumer, you are probably increasingly concerned with sustainability and base your choices on environmental claims. It is therefore crucial that these claims are correct, complete and clear, so that you are not misled and know exactly what the possible environmental benefit is.
This pronunciation marks an important step in the fight against greenwashing. For the first time, a Belgian authority has succeeded in holding an internationally operating company accountable through a foreign court. This opens the door to stricter controls and sanctions against companies that use misleading sustainability claims to influence consumers.
The case also highlights that greenwashing does not only occur among companies in highly polluting sectors, such as the oil industry, but also among companies that present themselves as a more sustainable alternative. While shared transport such as bus travel can indeed have a smaller ecological footprint than individual car use or air travel, this does not automatically mean that it is “climate-friendly”.
This ruling sends a clear message to companies: vague language and unsubstantiated claims about sustainability will no longer be tolerated. Consumers have the right to honest and substantiated information about the real environmental impact of the services they use. Companies that make exaggerated or misleading claims risk legal action and reputational damage.
