"Greenwashing," a topic of frequent discussion,
actually has dictionary definition. According to Merriam-Webster,
greenwashing is "the act or practice of making a product,
policy, activity, etc., appear to be more environmentally friendly
or less environmentally damaging than it really is." A trial
court in the District of Columbia recently dismissed a greenwashing
case brought by an environmental activist group against a major
beverage producer, making some interesting findings in the process.
Earth Island Institute v. Coca-Cola Co., No. 2021 CA
001846 B (D.C. Super. Nov. 10, 2022).
Plaintiff, Earth Island Institute, claimed that certain
statements by the Coca-Cola Company, on social media, the
company's website and other outlets were false and deceptive
and therefore actionable under the D.C. Consumer Protection
Procedures Act (CPPA), D.C. Code § 28-3901 et seq.
The challenged statements included assertions such as:
