<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>331055</docID> <postdate>2024-10-16 11:09:18</postdate> <headline>Australia’s biggest airline has been referred to the consumer watchdog over accusations Qantas is misleading passengers about its green credentials.</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-331058" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20220211001622395687-original-2-1-1.jpg" alt="" width="2056" height="1371" /></p> <caption>Qantas has been accused of greenwashing. (AP PHOTO)</caption> <p class="wire-column__preview__author"><span class="kicker-line">By <b>Neve Brissenden</b> in Sydney</span></p> <p><strong>The consumer watchdog is being urged to investigate whether Qantas passengers have been misled into flying "carbon neutral", as a climate group accuses the airline of greenwashing.</strong></p> <p>The Environmental Defenders Office filed the complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for not-for-profit advocacy group Climate Integrity on Wednesday.</p> <p>It says the airline is misleading customers by charging them extra to fly carbon-neutral and promoting itself as sustainable while having no credible plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.</p> <p>Climate Integrity director Claire Snyder said charging customers to offset their carbon emissions distorted customers' perceptions about the sustainability of flying.</p> <p>"Qantas is a trusted household name in Australia and it should not mislead customers and shareholders into thinking Qantas products and services are more sustainable than they really are," she said.</p> <p>Qantas's carbon-offset program involves purchasing offsets that "remove, reduce or avoid emissions" by donating to projects outside the aviation sector, according to its website.</p> <p>The projects include bushfire relief, rainforest conservation and food drives.</p> <p>Customers who chose the "fly carbon neutral" option might wrongly think the climate impacts of their trips had been compensated for through the purchasing of temporary offsets, Ms Synder said.</p> <p>"But this is not supported by science, and therefore distorts customers' perception of the sustainability of flying," she said.</p> <p>The complaint urges the watchdog to follow a landmark European greenwashing decision against KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in March, which found offsetting and other airline sustainability claims to be misleading.</p> <p>The European watchdog has since launched action against 20 airlines.</p> <p>Qantas's primary method of reducing emissions is the use of sustainable aviation fuel, which it says reduces emissions by up to 80 per cent.</p> <p>"We have always acknowledged that aviation is a particularly hard-to-abate sector but we have a responsibility to do what we can with what's available now," a spokeswoman said.</p> <p>"We have offered to work closely with Climate Integrity on this journey and have also reached out to the ACCC."</p> <p>In November, the consumer watchdog announced it would be cracking down on greenwashing and months later launched legal action against Clorox Australia.</p> <p>It alleged the company had breached consumer law over "ocean plastic" claims on Glad kitchen tidy and garbage bags, which have since been withdrawn from sale.</p> </body>