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The Climate Litigation Database

Deutsche Umwelthilfe v. Netto Marken-Discount Stiftung & Co. KG

Geography
🇩🇪 Germany
Year
2023
Document Type
Litigation

About this case

Filing year
2023
Status
Decided
Geography
🇩🇪 Germany
Court/admin entity
Germany → Amberg Regional Court
Case category
Suits against corporations, individuals (Global) → Corporations (Global) → Misleading advertising (Global)
Principal law
Germany → Act Against Unfair Competition
At issue
Whether advertising claims around "climate neutrality" are misleading and in breach of the German Act against Unfair Competition

Documents

Filing Date
Document
Type
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Summary

The lawsuit was directed against the company "Netto Marken-Discount Stiftung & Co. KG." The company was accused of making misleading advertising claims that suggest products, companies, or services are "climate neutral." This concerned the marketing of a "climate-neutral coffee beverage." The Amberg Regional Court upheld the lawsuit. Netto Marken-Discount Stiftung & Co. KG was not allowed to advertise products as climate-neutral if the supposed climate neutrality was based solely on the purchase of emission credits from short-term forest projects. The court found that the selected forest protection projects are not sufficient to advertise a product as climate-neutral.