Lufthansa Renames Its Green Fare "Impact Fare"
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Lufthansa Group is renaming its Green Fare to Impact Fare. The fare lets passengers contribute to emissions reduction and removal projects, and the company points to "new regulatory requirements for environmental communication" as the reason for the change.
The airline did not name the regulation. The renaming closely follows the start of application of the EU's Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT), which sets new rules against misleading green claims and other greenwashing. It bans unverified generic environmental claims such as "environmentally friendly" or "biodegradable."
How the fare works
Lufthansa introduced the Green Fare in 2023 and shows it next to its other fare classes. Passenger contributions pay for additional sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), covering 20% of a flight's estimated emissions on European routes and 10% on intercontinental ones. The remainder goes to climate protection projects that avoid emissions or remove and store CO2 outside aviation, such as reforestation or direct air capture.
In its statement, Lufthansa Group said more than 5 million passengers have booked the fare so far. It added that "the new name places even stronger emphasis on customers' contribution to greater sustainability in aviation."
Earlier pressure on airlines
Last year Lufthansa was among a group of airlines that reached an agreement with the European Commission to stop using environmental claims that national consumer authorities considered misleading. These included claims that flying emissions could be offset by paying extra fees to support climate projects, or by using SAF.
That agreement followed a complaint by the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) about misleading climate claims by several European airlines. BEUC asked European authorities to make airlines stop giving the impression that flying is sustainable, and to refund customers for "green fees" paid on the basis of misleading claims.
Last week the European Commission announced agreements with Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Danone to change recycling claims advertised on their plastic bottles.
Source: ESG Today