A clear greenwashing example arrived on 23 October 2025, when the Paris Judicial Court ruled that three consumer-facing statements by TotalEnergies about carbon neutrality and the energy transition were misleading commercial practices. The case, brought by environmental groups, sits alongside other 2025 enforcement against Shein and the asset manager DWS, and together they show how regulators and courts now read environmental claims.
Key takeaways
- On 23 October 2025 the Paris Judicial Court found that three messages on TotalEnergies’ French consumer website were misleading environmental claims, while rejecting most of the roughly 40 communications challenged.
- Commentators described it as the first time a court punished a fossil fuel major for greenwashing.
- On 4 August 2025 Italy’s competition authority fined Shein 1 million euros for vague and generic environmental claims.
- In April 2025 German prosecutors fined the asset manager DWS 25 million euros over statements about its ESG leadership.
- The common thread is a gap between a headline claim and the evidence behind it.
What is a greenwashing example in practice?
A greenwashing example usually follows one pattern: a company makes a positive environmental statement that gives the public a better impression than the facts support. The statement may be vague, such as “committed to the planet”, or specific but selective, such as promoting one efficient product line while the main business grows more polluting. It may be an aspiration presented as a result, or a label that has no independent standard behind it.
In the built environment, typical patterns include calling a project “zero carbon” while ignoring embodied emissions, advertising a certification level that applies to only one part of a development, or describing a product as “natural” without naming the material or its source. Each leaves the reader with a stronger impression than the evidence supports, which is the test regulators apply.
Courts and regulators do not judge intentions. They ask how an average consumer would understand the message and whether the evidence supports that understanding. That is why wording and context matter as much as the facts.
What did the Paris court decide about TotalEnergies?
The claimants were Greenpeace France, Les Amis de la Terre France and Notre Affaire à Tous. According to reports of the judgment and law-firm summaries, the court found that statements on the company’s French commercial website about its “ambition” to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and to be a major actor in the energy transition were misleading commercial practices. It separated institutional communications from consumer advertising and held that three messages used in direct connection with selling energy products to consumers fell within consumer law. It rejected most of the roughly 40 communications the groups had challenged.
The ruling does not say that every corporate climate target is deceptive. It says that when a target is used to market products to consumers, it has to be presented in a way that does not suggest the company’s actual contribution to the climate is greater than it is.
Which other greenwashing examples did regulators act on in 2025?
Shein in Italy
On 4 August 2025 the Italian competition authority fined Shein’s website operator 1 million euros after finding environmental claims that were vague, generic or overly emphatic. It said Shein’s statements about cutting emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 and reaching zero emissions by 2050 were contradicted by an actual increase in the company’s emissions in 2023 and 2024.
DWS in Germany
In April 2025 the Frankfurt public prosecutor fined the asset manager DWS 25 million euros. It found that describing the firm as an “ESG leader” and saying that ESG was “an integral part of our DNA” did not correspond to reality at the time. DWS accepted the fine and said that its marketing had sometimes been exuberant.
What can architects and designers learn from these cases?
Design firms and building owners make similar statements: “net zero by 2050”, “a leader in sustainable design”, “carbon neutral construction”. The cases suggest four habits. First, tie every headline to a scope and a date. Second, keep calculations and certificates on file. Third, separate aspiration from achievement in the wording. Fourth, check that marketing language matches what the business actually does. Our article on what greenwashing means explains the legal background, and the guide to sustainable marketing shows how to communicate progress honestly.
How can you check your own claims?
- List every environmental claim in your brochures, website and award entries.
- For each, write down the evidence, the date and the boundary of the claim.
- Remove or reword anything you cannot support, especially absolutes and long-range promises without a plan.
- Ask a colleague outside the project whether the claim could mislead.
- Review the list whenever products, projects or regulations change, starting with the definitions in our guide to net zero buildings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common greenwashing example?
Vague wording is the most common, such as “eco-friendly” or “green” with no explanation, followed by claims that cannot be verified and aspirations presented as achievements. Regulators in Europe have acted against all three types.
Is an “ambition” statement greenwashing?
It can be. In the Paris ruling, statements about an ambition to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 were found misleading when they appeared on a consumer website in connection with selling energy products. Context and evidence decide the outcome, so aspirations should be clearly labelled and backed by a plan.
Can an architecture practice be accused of greenwashing?
Yes. Any commercial statement about sustainability can be tested under consumer, advertising or competition law. Practices reduce the risk by stating the scope of each claim, keeping evidence and avoiding absolutes such as “carbon neutral” without a calculation.