French Court Orders TotalEnergies to Report Customer Emissions

A French court has ruled that TotalEnergies must report not only its own greenhouse gas emissions and those of its contractors, but also emissions from its customers who burn its oil and petroleum products. The decision, under a 2017 French law born from the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, gives the company six months to disclose these emissions, assess their risks to environment, human rights, and health, and outline reduction plans. TotalEnergies' own emissions are about 34 million metric tons of CO2 per year, while customer emissions are roughly ten times that. The court declined to order the company to reduce overall emissions, which would effectively mean selling less petroleum. The ruling expands corporate accountability options in France and may set a precedent for European Union rules effective in 2028. It also affects TotalEnergies' extensive U.S. operations, potentially requiring U.S. companies operating in Europe to collect similar data. The case is rare in targeting a corporation rather than a government, and could influence lawsuits in Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland. Critics argue that litigation is an ineffective deterrent compared to direct legislation or taxation.