Paris Judicial Court Orders TotalEnergies To Revise Vigilance Plan Including Scope 3 Emissions

A French court ordered TotalEnergies to revise its vigilance plan to include Scope 3 emissions, which cover emissions stemming from the use of its products and other indirect emissions.

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On June 25, the Paris Judicial Court ordered the multinational business to revise its vigilance plan in relation to its climate risk assessment, and it required the company to include Scope 3 emissions and measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with those activities.

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The case was brought in 2020 by Notre Affaire à Tous, Sherpa, Zéa and France Nature Environnement together with the city of Paris, and it was heard in January 2026.

Notre Affaire à Tous legal specialist Anne Stévignon said during an online press conference attended by Mongabay, “The judgment sends a very clear message that fossil fuel companies are responsible for all of their emissions, including those generated by customers using their products,” as the court deferred decisions on broader relief sought by the claimants.

The court also ordered TotalEnergies to pay €20,000 ($22,833) to each claimant in legal costs and scheduled a further hearing for Jan. 21, 2027.

The Paris Judicial Court ruled that large French-headquartered companies must consider climate risks associated with end customers’ emissions to comply with France’s Duty of Vigilance Law, and it said TotalEnergies’ vigilance plan was “incomplete” without Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

The court gave TotalEnergies six months to revise its risk mapping to account for risks associated with Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, while stopping short of ordering specific, quantified emissions reduction targets or requiring the company to cease new hydrocarbon projects.

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The ICLG account says the court clarified that the 2017 Act governs climate risks and impacts arising from a company’s operations, including Scope 3 GHG emissions linked to the combustion of a company’s products by consumers.

In its ruling, the court drew on the UK Supreme Court’s Finch v Surrey County Council [2024] judgment and treated the causal link between extraction and combustion as decisive, with the Paris court holding that indirect GHG emissions “form part of the adverse impacts resulting from [TotalEnergies’] own activities”.

The court also dismissed the organizations’ request for an order requiring TotalEnergies to adopt a trajectory for carbon neutrality by 2050 and to cease exploration and exploitation of new hydrocarbon fields.

The ruling leaves TotalEnergies under judicial supervision, with the court scheduled to review the revised vigilance plan when proceedings continue early next year and with a further hearing set for Jan. 21, 2027.

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The court’s order requires TotalEnergies to “complete its current due diligence plan, within six months of notification of the decision, by adding Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions to its map of risks and the measures relating to them,” according to Le Monde.fr.

In a statement, TotalEnergies said it “takes note of the Court’s request to also include customers’ emissions (Scope 3) in its vigilance plan and to update it accordingly,” and it said it will supplement its plan by drawing on its sustainability report.

The Guardian reported that the city of Paris hailed the ruling as “a landmark decision in the history of French climate law,” while the court declined to impose specific measures such as limiting overseas exploration and production or setting binding emissions reduction targets.

The stakes described by the sources center on whether TotalEnergies’ updated plan will be deemed adequate, because the court could order additional or more specific measures if the revised plan fails to satisfy the obligations tied to Scope 3 emissions.