Greenwashing

Californians are committed to making good decisions about the products they purchase. Many people seek out, and are willing to pay a bit more for, products that claim to be safer for the environment. The Attorney General believes it is important that consumers be able to rely on “green” claims.

In October 2011, the Attorney General filed a first-of-its-kind "greenwashing" lawsuit against three companies that allegedly made false and misleading claims by marketing plastic water bottles as "100 percent biodegradable and recyclable." Under California law, it is illegal to label a plastic food or beverage container as biodegradable. Plastic takes thousands of years to biodegrade and may never do so in a landfill.

The claim of recycling is also deceptive. The microbial additive put into the bottle is considered by the Association of Post Consumer Plastic Recyclers to be a "destructive contaminant" that can compromise the strength of the products they make.

The lawsuit is the first government action to enforce the state's landmark environmental marketing law. Read the complaint, pdf.