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ARTICLE · 27 NOVEMBER 2024

What The Evian "Carbon-Neutral" Ruling Means For Advertisers

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In a notable ESG ruling, U.S. District Judge Nelson Roman dismissed a class action lawsuit against Danone Waters of America that had alleged the company deceptively labeled its Evian bottled water as "carbon-neutral."

United StatesEnvironment
Catherine E. O'Brien
Catherine E. O'Brien
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In a notable ESG ruling, U.S. District Judge Nelson Roman dismissed a class action lawsuit against Danone Waters of America that had alleged the company deceptively labeled its Evian bottled water as "carbon-neutral." This dismissal is the result of the court's reconsideration of its partial denial of Defendant Danone Waters of America's motion to dismiss.

The Evian water bottle labels in question featured a "Carbon Neutral" claim along with the "Carbon Trust" logo, a third-party environmental certification agency that follows the international PAS standard for determining carbon neutrality. Plaintiffs argued that this labeling amounted to "greenwashing," leading them to believe that the product's manufacturing process did not produce CO2 emissions or contribute to pollution.

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