Airlines risk legal trouble for advertising jet fuel as “sustainable” without solid evidence, warns UK-based NGO Opportunity Green in a new report. The group says such claims may breach European consumer protection and anti-greenwashing laws, opening airlines up to lawsuits and regulatory action.
The report criticizes the widespread use of the term “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF) and calls for more accurate labeling, such as “alternative fuel,” unless companies can prove clear emissions savings and disclose full supply chain details. Opportunity Green’s legal officer, Olivia Moyle, said vague claims are “misleading and legally risky.”
Concerns are also growing around the sourcing of used cooking oil (UCO), a common SAF ingredient, with reports suggesting it may be fraudulently mixed with virgin palm oil, a practice that undermines climate claims and raises deforestation risks.
The warning follows recent legal action against airlines like KLM and Virgin Atlantic over misleading green ads. With EU regulators now investigating 20 airlines for deceptive climate marketing, experts say the industry must back up sustainability claims or face consequences.
