Paris Court Orders TotalEnergies to Revise Vigilance Plan — First Climate Application of French Due Diligence Law

The Paris Judicial Court ruled on June 25 that TotalEnergies' Scope 3 emissions — those generated when customers burn its oil and gas products, representing roughly 90% of the company's carbon footprint — fall within the scope of France's 2017 corporate duty of vigilance law. The court did not impose binding production cuts or a fine; instead, it ordered TotalEnergies to publish a revised vigilance plan within six months that properly assesses climate risk and includes adequate mitigation measures, with a compliance hearing set for January 21, 2027. If the revised plan is found insufficient, further measures could follow. Notably, the court tied its reasoning to the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, finding that climate obligations fall within CSDDD scope even after Omnibus I stripped an explicit climate transition plan requirement. This is the first time a court has applied France's duty of vigilance to climate change and the first to bring Scope 3 emissions into a company's legal due diligence perimeter. For multinational companies with significant fossil fuel exposure, and for counsel advising them, the ruling reframes climate risk disclosure from best practice to legal obligation — and the January 2027 compliance hearing creates a live enforcement docket to watch.