Prasine Index verifies EU corporate sustainability claims against enforcement records, regulatory filings, lobbying data, and open climate datasets. Every finding cites a named, independently verifiable primary source — research built for journalists, NGOs, and researchers investigating greenwashing.
Example output: what a Prasine Index assessment looks like.
7 claims assessed · Prasine Index · trace ea1ac4a0
Aggregate across 7 claims · range 82–90
| Score | Verdict | Claim assessed |
|---|---|---|
| 86 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “Progressing towards our ambitious sustainability goals of Net Zero by 2050 and 12.5% SAF by 2030” — detailed below |
| 85 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “A more efficient ATM network would result in a 10% reduction in carbon emissions and bring us closer to our goal of net-” |
| 82 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “Ryanair Holdings plc commits to reduce Well-to-Wake scope 1 and 3 jet fuel GHG emissions 27% per RTK by 2031 from a 2023” |
| 82 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “We have teamed up with Trinity College Dublin to put in place a number of innovative actions to accelerate the use of su” |
| 83 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “Ryanair uses ETS Aero to monitor, report and verify its greenhouse gas emissions. This guarantees compliance to all nati” |
| 86 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “we want to see the introduction of policies which promote sustainable fuels and therefore reduce aviation's climate impa” — detailed below |
| 86 / 100 | Confirmed greenwashing | “We've developed a pathway to achieve our net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, which aligns with the Paris Agreement a” — detailed below |
Detailed assessment of highest-scoring claim (86 / 100) follows.
“Progressing towards our ambitious sustainability goals of Net Zero by 2050 and 12.5% SAF by 2030”
Range 82–91 · Confidence 85%
Key finding
Ryanair Holdings plc's Net Zero by 2050 pledge is contradicted by its own LobbyMap D+ (Obstructive) climate policy engagement rating — a company actively documented as opposing or delaying climate legislation is simultaneously marketing a net-zero commitment it cannot structurally substantiate, and has a prior ASA ruling (2020) finding a comparable emissions claim misleading.
This is not a first-instance claim in isolation — it sits atop a documented pattern. Three independent sources rated at confidence ≥0.85 contradict the claim: the LobbyMap D+ obstructive rating, the ASA's 2020 finding that Ryanair's prior comparable emissions claim was misleading, and the source document analysis confirming the current claim fails every EmpCo substantiation requirement.
The lead finding is the lobbying contradiction: Ryanair Holdings plc is rated D+ (Obstructive) by LobbyMap while simultaneously publicising a Net Zero by 2050 target. A company documented as obstructing the climate legislation required to deliver decarbonisation cannot simultaneously credibly claim to be "progressing towards" net zero. This contradiction is corroborated, not merely alleged — the EU Transparency Register confirms Ryanair is an active, registered EU lobbyist, meaning the D+ rating reflects verifiable engagement rather than a passive classification.
This is compounded by a documented prior pattern: the ASA's 2020 ruling (G20-1089921) found Ryanair's earlier "lowest carbon emissions" claim misleading and unsubstantiated — an equivalent-category climate marketing claim. The 2024 EC CPC investigation, while not yet concluded, indicates regulators consider Ryanair's environmental claims a live enforcement concern.
The substantiation failure is structural and total: no baseline year, no interim 2035/2040 targets, no abatement-versus-removal split, no certified removal plan, no verified transition plan. SAF blending and aircraft efficiency, while real operational measures, do not constitute net-zero substantiation under EmpCo Directive criteria.
Mitigating factors — SBTi "Targets set" status and TPI's "Below 2 Degrees" 2050 pathway rating — are addressed on their merits but do not override the confirmed triggers. SBTi records no net-zero validation (target: none), and TPI's pathway rating speaks to trajectory quality, not to whether the specific claim under review is substantiated.
(b) Green Claims Directive (enforcement from September 2026): Under GCD mandatory substantiation requirements, this claim would require independent third-party verification of the net-zero pathway, interim milestones, and removal mechanisms before publication. As currently structured, the claim is not ready for GCD scrutiny and would likely fail it, given the absence of any independently verified transition plan.
Under UCPD Article 11 (as amended by the EmpCo Directive, EU 2024/825), this claim is subject to enforcement by national consumer authorities. Complaints may be filed with the relevant national consumer protection authority — in Ryanair's home jurisdiction, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) of Ireland, or with the UK Advertising Standards Authority given its prior jurisdiction over an equivalent Ryanair claim.
The same seven-agent pipeline and the same 22 EU data sources produce this. The score is evidence, not editorial — confirmed greenwashing and a substantiated record, side by side.
A Net Zero 2050 pledge while rated D+ (obstructive) on the very climate laws it depends on, a prior ASA ruling for misleading emissions claims, and a net-zero pathway that fails EmpCo substantiation. Three independent confirmed triggers, no counter-argument.
A 98% intensity-reduction claim backed by EU ETS verified data: Studstrupværket 2.23 Mt → 15,560 t, Esbjergværket 1.50 Mt → 0. All 7 claims substantiated, zero contradictions across fifteen source checks. The index can say yes.
8 EU companies assessed across multiple sectors. Evidence drawn from 22 open data sources per run.
Click any row for the full evidence chain and scoring breakdown.
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