SYDNEY, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has taken its first action over corporate greenwashing, fining a listed energy company with four infringement notices.

In a statement released on Thursday, the ASIC said that Tlou Energy Limited has paid 53,280 Australian dollars (about 34,100 U.S. dollars) after being slapped with notices over concerns about alleged false or misleading sustainability-related statements.

The regulator said greenwashing is a practice which refers to misleading statement misrepresenting the extent to which a financial product or investment strategy is environmentally friendly, sustainable or ethical.

Last year, Tlou Energy Limited made statements to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), saying that its electricity would be carbon-neutral, and it had both environmental approval and the capability to generate certain quantities of electricity from solar power, and its gas-to-power project would have "low emissions."

The company also claimed that it was equally concerned with producing "clean energy" through the use of renewable sources as it was with developing its gas-to-power project.

However, the regulator was concerned that the company did not have a reasonable basis to make the representations, or that the representations were factually incorrect.

ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court warned that companies who promote sustainability and green practices must ensure they can support those statements and have a reasonable basis for doing so.

"Companies are on notice that ASIC is actively monitoring the market for potential greenwashing and will take enforcement action, including Court action, for serious breaches," Court said.