Energy Australia apologises to 400,000 customers and settles greenwashing legal action | Energy

The main Australian Energy Company acknowledged that carbon compensation does not prevent or retract the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions and apologized to its customers for the alleged misleading marketing.

More than 400,000 Australians have subscribed to energy The “Go Neutral” carbon displacement program in Australia, which has promised since 2016 to compensate for the emissions that were released due to its consumption of electricity and gas.

Parents of the Climate Climate Code launched a legal action in the Federal Court in 2023, claiming that the company participated in misleading and deceptive behavior by claiming that it reduces emissions on behalf of its customers, including the purchase of international carbon displacement.

The case, which was the first time that a large Australian energy company had faced legal measures to wash alleged greenery, last week, but the parties agreed to settle instead.

In a statement on MondayEnergy Australia said it had confessed that compensation for the carbon “was not the most effective way to help customers reduce their emissions” and apologized for “any hair customer that the way in which its neutral products are not clear.”

The company’s statement, which is agreed upon as part of the settlement, said: “greenhouse gases harmful to the environment and contribute to climate change. While compensation can help people invest in worthy projects that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions, displacement does not prevent any customer of the damage caused by burning volcanoes that are still present in order to burn the climate.” Climate change. ”

Nick Citton, CEO of Parents, said that it is a “historic recognition”, a “big step forward” for the company’s 1.6 million customers’ customers and sent a strong message that the era of unwanted green washing has ended. “

“Energy Australia’s statement explains that compensation should not be used as a license for pollution,” said Citton. “It is no longer possible to eradicate polluted products in the marketing of” neutral carbon “products and customer leaderships to believe that they are through registration, they are doing a good job for the planet.”

Citton said the case was not just Energy Australia, which ended in July 2024.

Both parents of climate and energy in Australia said that the settlement followed questions about whether the active program of the federal government, which is witnessing carbon offers, offers what it promised.

Kate Gibson, chief customer employee at Energy Australia, said that the company participated in the Climate Active Customer Active program, but before now there is “a legitimate general concern about the effectiveness of these programs.”

“Carbon compensation should not be used to delay or reduce the important work that must be done to actively remove carbon,” she said. “Energy Australia is now focusing on more effective ways to help its customers reduce emissions related to the use of energy directly.”