Brau Union Österreich (Beer Malting Greenwashing)

In June 2023, the Association for Consumer Protection (VKI) filed a civil lawsuit against Brau Union Österreich for misleading advertising. The company advertised its Gösser beer brand as 100% CO2 neutral. After the investigation, VKI found that only the beer brewing process did not require fossil fuels. However, Brau Union omitted the energy-intensive malting process from its advertising campaign. Brau Union contested that malting was not part of the brewing process. The Linz Regional Court confirmed VKI’s opinion, noting that Brau Union failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that malting was not part of the brewing process. Moreover, the court noted that Brau Union’s website stated malting as a stage of brewing. Brau Union has filed an appeal.