US EditionClimate crisis: Carbon-neutral bills, or Australia’s biggest case of greenwashing?
- Parents for Climate initiated a Federal Court case in 2025 against EnergyAustralia for misleading carbon-neutral claims to over 400,000 customers in Australia.
- The case arose amid growing criticism of carbon offsetting schemes, with over 100 companies, including Australia Post and Telstra, quitting due to integrity concerns revealed in February 2025.
- EnergyAustralia, a large coal-based energy retailer with 1.6 million customers and two coal power plants, markets Go Neutral products backed by offsets, while committing to coal phase-out by 2040 and net zero by 2050.
- Lawyer David Hertzberg stated, "You can't offset your way out of the climate crisis," emphasizing offsets fail to neutralize fossil fuel harm, and a successful claim could set a precedent for other companies.
- The case highlights the need for stronger regulation against greenwashing, as Parents for Climate and experts argue real emission reductions must replace reliance on misleading offset claims.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Parent group challenges energy giant over carbon claims
Parents for Climate have launched Australia’s first greenwashing case against an energy firm. (HANDOUT/PARENTS FOR CLIMATE) By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson A parent group with more than 20,000 members will challenge one of Australia’s largest energy companies in court over claims it misled customers about emissions from its products. Representatives from EnergyAustralia will appear in the NSW Federal Court on Thursday to defend the lawsuit filed b…
Parent Group Challenges Energy Giant Over Carbon Claims
A parent group with more than 20,000 members will challenge one of Australia’s largest energy companies in court over claims it misled customers about emissions from its products. Representatives from EnergyAustralia will appear in the NSW Federal Court on May 14 to defend the lawsuit filed by Parents for Climate in August 2023. The group claims the company misled more than 400,000 customers using its Go Neutral products, which EnergyAustralia a…
EnergyAustralia settles greenwashing case on eve of trial
Save (0) Please login to bookmarkClose Username or Email Address Password Remember Me EnergyAustralia has reached a settlement with advocacy group Parents for Climate in a suit accusing it of falsely promoting its carbon offset products as carbon neutral. Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.Already a subscriber? Username or Email Address Password Remember Me Lost your password? The post EnergyAustra…
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