Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Lobbying, PR and greenwashing · Germany · 2023–2026

German courts bar 'CO2-neutral' and 'klimaneutral' advertising by five companies in cases brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (2023-2026)

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
Things were done in my name here. No one has measured what reached me.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
In my name
  • Karlsruhe Regional Court (LG Karlsruhe) found that a claim made in my name was misleading. The claim was: “"CO2-neutral reisen. Zusammen machen wir das Fliegen nachhaltiger: CO2-Emissionen ausgleichen und abheben"” Landgericht Karlsruhe (press release)
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 not measured · 2 disputed See the gaps

Between March 2023 and July 2026 courts in Düsseldorf, Karlsruhe and Cologne ruled against climate-neutral or offset advertising by TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland, dm, Eurowings, ZG Raiffeisen Energie and Lufthansa, in cases brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe. The Cologne Higher Regional Court dismissed Eurowings' appeal on 13 December 2024 and, on 8 July 2026, left only one Lufthansa statement barred after the claimant waived the other.

TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland, dm, Eurowings, ZG Raiffeisen Energie, LufthansaRulings recorded in the series
Court rulings in cases brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe, March 2023 to July 2026. The Düsseldorf and Cologne judgments threaten a penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per breach; no damages are stated.

Status As of 8 July 2026: five first-instance rulings recorded (2023-2025); the Eurowings appeal was dismissed on 13 December 2024; the Lufthansa judgment was reduced on appeal to the SAF statement; according to DUH, dm withdrew its appeals.

What?
German courts barred climate-neutral and offset advertising by five companies in cases brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe. Landgericht Karlsruhe (press release)
Where?
Germany: regional courts in Düsseldorf, Karlsruhe and Cologne, and the Cologne Higher Regional Court. Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
When?
Rulings from 24 March 2023 to 8 July 2026. Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Reasons recorded: essential information on how the offsetting worked was withheld (TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland, dm); a promise of a climate-neutral product that offsetting through forest-protection certificates could not deliver in principle (dm); project durations insufficient to support a claim of CO2 neutrality (Eurowings); a statement that did not say when the sustainable aviation fuel would be used (Lufthansa). Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
How?
Civil injunction cases under the Act against Unfair Competition brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe; the remedies are orders to stop the statements, with a threatened penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per breach in the Düsseldorf and Cologne judgments. Landgericht Düsseldorf (judgment, NRWE database)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), an environmental association, brought a series of cases in German courts against advertising that described heating oil, drugstore products and flights as climate-neutral, offset or compensated. DUH said in a press release of 26 July 2023 that it had started proceedings against 24 companies since May 2022. One of the rulings concerns TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland GmbH, a heating-oil seller that is part of the TotalEnergies group.

On 24 March 2023 the Düsseldorf Regional Court (38 O 92/22) ordered TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland to stop advertising its heating oil as "CO2 Kompensiertes Heizöl" with a web page it had published on 22 February 2022, and to pay EUR 228.02 plus interest. It held the advertising unfair under section 5a(1) of the Act against Unfair Competition because it withheld essential information on how and to what extent the carbon-dioxide offsetting was carried out. DUH announced the ruling on 5 April 2023. On 26 July 2023 the Karlsruhe Regional Court (13 O 46/22 KfH) ordered dm-drogerie markt to stop advertising a liquid soap, a sun milk and a shower cream as "klimaneutral" (with a ClimatePartner number and the addition "CO2-kompensiert") and a washing-up liquid as "Umweltneutrales Produkt". The court found that the "klimaneutral" claim withheld essential information for two of the products, because information on the life-cycle steps covered and the certification criteria was only on the label provider's website, and that for all three products it promised a climate-neutral product that offsetting through forest-protection certificates could not deliver in principle. For the washing-up liquid it found the "umweltneutral" claim overstated, because the approach used covered five of 13 impact categories.

According to DUH, dm withdrew its appeal against the "klimaneutral" part of the Karlsruhe judgment on 23 October 2023 (OLG Karlsruhe, 6 U 164/23) and continued only on "umweltneutral"; DUH said on 8 October 2024 that dm had withdrawn that appeal too, so that the judgment had become final, and on 20 December 2024 that dm had also undertaken to stop the slogan "umweltneutral handeln".

On 28 March 2024 the Cologne Regional Court (81 O 32/23) ordered Eurowings to stop advertising flights with the statement "CO2-neutral reisen. Zusammen machen wir das Fliegen nachhaltiger: CO2-Emissionen ausgleichen und abheben" and to pay EUR 280.78 plus interest. It found the statement misleading because the durations of the offset projects were insufficient to support a claim of CO2 neutrality. The Cologne Higher Regional Court dismissed Eurowings' appeal on 13 December 2024 (6 U 45/24) and did not allow an appeal on points of law.

On 8 November 2024 the Karlsruhe Regional Court (14 O 23/24 KfH) barred ZG Raiffeisen Energie GmbH from advertising its heating oil as climate-neutral, according to DUH's press release of that day. DUH said the court found that the company gave insufficient or contradictory information on what was being offset and did not say that emissions from oil extraction, in particular methane, and from transporting the crude oil to the refinery were not compensated. The judgment text is not among the sources reviewed.

On 21 March 2025 the Cologne Regional Court (84 O 29/24) upheld in full a consumer association's claim against Lufthansa; press reports and DUH identify the claimant as DUH. It barred the statement "CO2-Emissionen ausgleichen durch einen Beitrag zu Klimaschutzprojekten" when accompanied by the explanation that all projects ensure that CO2 is saved or removed from the atmosphere in the long term, and the sentence that customers can reduce their flight-related CO2 emissions directly during booking through sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It found the offset advertising misleading in part because it referred to a forest-protection project that Lufthansa had not supported since the end of December 2023. A Lufthansa spokesperson said the company was reviewing the judgment. On 8 July 2026 the Cologne Higher Regional Court (6 U 68/25), after the claimant waived its claim on the offset statement, amended the judgment so that only the SAF statement remains barred, held that statement unfair because it was misleading, divided the costs of both instances equally and did not allow an appeal on points of law.

  1. 202324 March: Düsseldorf Regional Court bars TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland's "CO2 Kompensiertes Heizöl" web page (announced by DUH on 5 April)
  2. 202326 July: Karlsruhe Regional Court bars dm's "klimaneutral" and "Umweltneutrales Produkt" claims
  3. 202323 October: according to DUH, dm withdraws its appeal against the "klimaneutral" part of the judgment
  4. 202428 March: Cologne Regional Court bars Eurowings' "CO2-neutral reisen" advertising
  5. 20248 October: DUH reports that dm has withdrawn its remaining appeal and the judgment is final
  6. 20248 November: Karlsruhe Regional Court bars ZG Raiffeisen Energie's "klimaneutral" heating-oil advertising, as reported by DUH
  7. 202413 December: Cologne Higher Regional Court dismisses Eurowings' appeal
  8. 202420 December: DUH reports that dm undertakes to stop the slogan "umweltneutral handeln"
  9. 202521 March: Cologne Regional Court upholds the claim against Lufthansa (announced on 24 March)
  10. 20268 July: Cologne Higher Regional Court amends the Lufthansa judgment after the claimant waives the offset-statement claim; the SAF statement remains barred

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“Lufthansa ist das Urteil bekannt. Wir prüfen dieses sorgfältig.”

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Whether Eurowings' "CO2-neutral reisen" statement was misleading
Company or project
Eurowings

Argued that there was no misleading because average consumers know that forest-protection projects must reach far into the future and that a statement on offsetting is a forecast, not a guarantee.

Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
Courts
Cologne Regional Court and Higher Regional Court

Found the statement misleading; the first-instance court tied this to insufficient project durations.

Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

Recorded

  • Düsseldorf Regional Court, TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland (38 O 92/22, 24 March 2023): advertising with the "CO2 Kompensiertes Heizöl" web page barred; the court held that information on how and to what extent the offsetting was carried out was essential under section 5a(1) of the Act against Unfair Competition.
    Landgericht Düsseldorf (judgment, NRWE database)
  • DUH announced the Düsseldorf ruling on 5 April 2023 and described it as the first judgment among the 15 proceedings it had opened against offset-based climate-neutrality promises.
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release)
  • Karlsruhe Regional Court, dm (13 O 46/22 KfH, 26 July 2023): "klimaneutral" claims barred (essential information withheld for two products; promise unattainable in principle for all three) and "Umweltneutrales Produkt" barred (claim overstated, five of 13 impact categories covered).
    Landgericht Karlsruhe (press release)
  • DUH said on 26 July 2023 that since May 2022 it had started proceedings against 24 companies over advertising with supposed climate neutrality.
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release)
  • Cologne Regional Court, Eurowings (81 O 32/23, 28 March 2024): advertising barred; the court found the misleading nature of the CO2-neutrality claim arose from insufficient project durations. Appeal dismissed by the Cologne Higher Regional Court on 13 December 2024.
    Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
  • Karlsruhe Regional Court, ZG Raiffeisen Energie (14 O 23/24 KfH, 8 November 2024): advertising of heating oil as climate-neutral barred, according to DUH.
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release; the judgment was not available)
  • Cologne Regional Court, Lufthansa (84 O 29/24, 21 March 2025): offset statement and SAF statement barred. Cologne Higher Regional Court (6 U 68/25, 8 July 2026): only the SAF statement remains barred after the claimant waived the other claim.
    Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

In nature's name

What was promised in nature's name, the money that moved, and what was measured.

Promised

What was measured

Not measured

No independent measurement of the climate or nature effect of the offset projects behind the claims is on record. The judgments concern the wording of the claims, the information given to consumers and, in the Eurowings judgment, the durations of the offset projects.

Findings on record

  • Court or regulator ruling Düsseldorf Regional Court (LG Düsseldorf) (2023-03-24) · 38 O 92/22, TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland, "CO2 Kompensiertes Heizöl": “Informationen dazu, wie und in welchem Umfang die in der angegriffenen Darstellung beworbene Kompensation von Kohlenstoffdioxid umgesetzt wird” original in German Landgericht Düsseldorf (judgment, NRWE database)
  • Court or regulator ruling Karlsruhe Regional Court (LG Karlsruhe) (2023-07-26) · 13 O 46/22 KfH, dm-drogerie markt, "klimaneutral" and "Umweltneutrales Produkt": “weil sie ein klimaneutrales Produkt verspricht, dieses Versprechen aber aus prinzipiellen Gründen nicht einlösen kann” original in German Landgericht Karlsruhe (press release)
  • Court or regulator ruling Cologne Regional Court (LG Köln) (2024-03-28) · 81 O 32/23, Eurowings, "CO2-neutral reisen": “Die Irreführung der Äußerung ergibt sich bezogen auf die Angabe einer CO2-Neutralität aus den ungenügenden Projektlaufzeiten.” original in German Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
  • Court or regulator ruling Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG Köln) (2024-12-13) · 6 U 45/24, Eurowings appeal dismissed: “Das Landgericht hat im Ergebnis zu Recht angenommen, dass eine Irreführung nach § 5 Abs. 1 UWG vorliegt.” original in German Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
  • Court or regulator ruling Karlsruhe Regional Court (LG Karlsruhe) (2024-11-08) · 14 O 23/24 KfH, ZG Raiffeisen Energie, "klimaneutral" heating oil (as reported by DUH) Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release; the judgment was not available)
  • Court or regulator ruling Cologne Regional Court (LG Köln) (2025-03-21) · 84 O 29/24, Lufthansa, offset statement and SAF statement: “Letztlich ist die hier beanstandete Werbung aus der Anlage K2 bereits deshalb irreführend” original in German Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
  • Court or regulator ruling Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG Köln) (2026-07-08) · 6 U 68/25, Lufthansa SAF statement; offset-statement claim waived by the claimant: “Die angegriffene Bewerbung erweist sich als unlauter, weil sie irreführend ist.” original in German Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: · Window: . All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • dm-drogerie-markt (2023-10-23): According to DUH, withdrew its appeal against the "klimaneutral" part of the judgment on 23 October 2023 (OLG Karlsruhe 6 U 164/23). · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release)
  • dm-drogerie-markt (2024-12-20): According to DUH, withdrew its remaining appeal (on "umweltneutrales Produkt") in autumn 2024, so that the judgment became final, and on 20 December 2024 undertook to stop the slogan "umweltneutral handeln". · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release)
  • eurowings (2024-12-13): Appealed the Cologne Regional Court judgment; the Higher Regional Court dismissed the appeal on 13 December 2024. · Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)
  • lufthansa (2025-03-24): A spokesperson said "Lufthansa ist das Urteil bekannt. Wir prüfen dieses sorgfältig." Lufthansa appealed; the Higher Regional Court decided on 8 July 2026. · Legal Tribunal Online (LTO), with dpa

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2023-03-24Claimant won€228.02m Warning-letter costs awarded to the claimant, plus interest
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe v TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland ("CO2 Kompensiertes Heizöl")
    Düsseldorf Regional Court (LG Düsseldorf), 38 O 92/22 · Civil · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (as identified in DUH's press release) → TotalEnergies Wärme & Kraftstoff Deutschland

    Ordered to stop advertising heating oil as "CO2 Kompensiertes Heizöl" with the web page of 22 February 2022; penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per breach threatened. The court held that information on how and to what extent the offsetting was carried out was essential. Landgericht Düsseldorf (judgment, NRWE database)

  2. 2023-07-26Claimant won
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe v dm-drogerie markt ("klimaneutral", "Umweltneutrales Produkt")
    Karlsruhe Regional Court (LG Karlsruhe), 13 O 46/22 KfH · Civil · Deutsche Umwelthilfe → dm-drogerie markt GmbH & Co. KG

    The "klimaneutral" claims on a liquid soap, sun milk and shower cream and the "Umweltneutrales Produkt" claim on a washing-up liquid were barred. According to DUH, dm withdrew its appeals (23 October 2023 on "klimaneutral"; autumn 2024 on "umweltneutral"). Landgericht Karlsruhe (press release)

  3. 2024-03-28Claimant won€280.78m Amount awarded to the claimant, plus interest
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe v Eurowings ("CO2-neutral reisen")
    Cologne Regional Court (LG Köln), 81 O 32/23 · Civil · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (as identified in DUH's press release) → Eurowings

    Eurowings was ordered to stop advertising flights with the "CO2-neutral reisen" statement; penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per breach threatened. The court found the misleading nature arose from insufficient project durations. Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

  4. 2024-12-13Claimant won
    Eurowings appeal against the Cologne Regional Court judgment
    Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG Köln), 6 U 45/24 · Appeal · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (as identified in DUH's press release) → Eurowings

    Appeal dismissed; the court held that the first-instance court correctly found misleading advertising under section 5(1) of the Act against Unfair Competition. Appeal on points of law not allowed. Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

  5. 2024-11-08Claimant won
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe v ZG Raiffeisen Energie ("klimaneutral" heating oil)
    Karlsruhe Regional Court (LG Karlsruhe), 14 O 23/24 KfH · Civil · Deutsche Umwelthilfe → ZG Raiffeisen Energie GmbH

    Advertising of heating oil as climate-neutral barred, according to DUH's press release; the judgment text was not among the sources reviewed. Deutsche Umwelthilfe (claimant's press release; the judgment was not available)

  6. 2025-03-21Claimant won
    Deutsche Umwelthilfe v Lufthansa ("CO2 ausgleichen", sustainable aviation fuel)
    Cologne Regional Court (LG Köln), 84 O 29/24 · Civil · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (as identified in press reports and DUH's press release) → Lufthansa

    Both statements barred; penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per breach threatened. The court found the offset advertising misleading, in part because it referred to a project Lufthansa no longer supported. Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

  7. 2026-07-08Reduced on appeal
    Lufthansa appeal against the Cologne Regional Court judgment
    Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG Köln), 6 U 68/25 · Appeal · Deutsche Umwelthilfe (as identified in DUH's press release) → Lufthansa

    After the claimant waived its claim on the offset statement, the judgment was amended so that only the SAF statement remains barred; the court held that statement unfair because it was misleading. Costs of both instances divided equally. Appeal on points of law not allowed. Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database)

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Claim ruled misleadingBenefit not measured

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

Accounts

  • Disputed Whether Eurowings' "CO2-neutral reisen" statement was misleading

Record

  • Disputed Conflicting accounts: DUH's press release of 23 October 2023 says dm withdrew its appeal against the "klimaneutral" part of the Karlsruhe judgment (OLG Karlsruhe 6 U 164/23), while DUH's press release of 8 October 2024 says dm lodged no appeal on "klimaneutral" and appealed only on "umweltneutrales Produkt".
  • None on record The ZG Raiffeisen Energie judgment is not among the sources reviewed; the court's reasons are as reported by DUH.
  • None on record None on record: an independent measurement of the climate effect of the offset projects behind the claims.

Did the harm stop?

The advertising was barred in each of the five cases. The Cologne Higher Regional Court upheld the ban on Eurowings' statement on 13 December 2024 and, on 8 July 2026, on Lufthansa's statement on sustainable aviation fuel.

Who paid?

The Düsseldorf and Cologne (Eurowings) judgments order payment to the claimant of EUR 228.02 and EUR 280.78 respectively, plus interest; the Cologne Higher Regional Court divided the Lufthansa costs equally between the parties. No fines or damages are stated.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators✓ Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Courts

  2. Landgericht Düsseldorf, 38 O 92/22 (Urteil vom 24.03.2023)
    Landgericht Düsseldorf (judgment, NRWE database) · 2023-03-24
  3. Landgericht Köln, 81 O 32/23 (Urteil vom 28.03.2024)
    Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database) · 2024-03-28
  4. Oberlandesgericht Köln, 6 U 45/24 (Urteil vom 13.12.2024)
    Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database) · 2024-12-13
  5. Landgericht Köln, 84 O 29/24 (Urteil vom 21.03.2025)
    Landgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database) · 2025-03-21
  6. Oberlandesgericht Köln, 6 U 68/25 (Urteil vom 08.07.2026)
    Oberlandesgericht Köln (judgment, NRWE database) · 2026-07-08

Press and investigations

  1. LG: 'Klimaneutral'-Werbung von Lufthansa irreführend
    Legal Tribunal Online (LTO), with dpa · 2025-03-24

Communities and civil society

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Carbon and conservation finance

Offset
Using carbon credits to balance emissions released elsewhere, so that a buyer can claim lower or zero net emissions.

Bonds and banking

Guarantee
A commitment by a third party, often a development bank, to pay if the borrower does not.

Insurance

Premium
The price paid for an insurance policy.
Similar cases
Law, regulation and treaties · Green claim · Biodiversity offset / offset credit · Sweden · 2019–2023
Swedish court bans Arla's "netto noll klimatavtryck" claim for organic dairy products (2023)
Same type: Green claim, Biodiversity offset / offset creditCourt: won by claimantHarm to nature not measured
Lobbying, PR and greenwashing · Green claim · United Kingdom · 2023
UK Advertising Standards Authority upholds complaints about Shell, Repsol and Petronas transition advertisements (7 June 2023)
Same type: Lobbying, PR and greenwashing, Green claimCourt: won by claimantHarm to nature not measured
Lobbying, PR and greenwashing · Green claim · United Kingdom · 2023
UK Advertising Standards Authority upholds complaints about two Etihad environmental advertisements (12 April and 6 December 2023)
Same type: Lobbying, PR and greenwashing, Green claimCourt: won by claimantHarm to nature not measured
Lobbying, PR and greenwashing · United States · 2017–2026
Ohio HB6 bribery case
Same type: Lobbying, PR and greenwashingCourt: won by claimantHarm to nature not measured
Lobbying, PR and greenwashing · United States · 2021–2026
Texas anti-ESG law SB 13 and the states' suit against BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street
Same type: Lobbying, PR and greenwashingCourt: won by claimantHarm to nature not measured
Lobbying, PR and greenwashing · United States · 2020–2026
Leonard Leo network and the anti-ESG campaign
Same type: Lobbying, PR and greenwashingCourt: won by claimantHarm to nature not measured