Paris court holds TotalEnergies accountable for customers' emissions

On 25 June 2026 the Paris judicial court ruled that TotalEnergies must account for the greenhouse‑gas emissions released when its customers burn the oil and gas it supplies. The judgment stemmed from a 2020 lawsuit filed by a coalition of NGOs and the city of Paris under France’s 2017 duty‑of‑vigilance law, which obliges large companies to assess serious human‑rights and environmental risks in their own operations and supply chains. The court interpreted the law to include downstream, or “Scope 3”, emissions, finding TotalEnergies had failed to incorporate these in its vigilance plan. While the ruling did not order the company to halt new fossil‑fuel projects or cut production, it marked the first French decision to extend corporate liability to emissions generated after sale of products. TotalEnergies issued a brief statement expressing satisfaction that the court did not block future projects and said it would examine the decision’s implications.