Consumers filed a greenwashing class action in the federal district court for the Western District Washington against Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), the manufacturer of Charmin toilet paper. They alleged that the company had for years “been complicit in the clear cutting of untouched ancient primary forests in order to sell billions of dollars of single use toilet paper – all the while reassuring consumers with false claims that it was helping to regrow and restore these unique forests.” The allegedly misleading claims made by P&G included statements to investors related to climate change and carbon storage, including that it was investing in “natural climate solutions that can remove and store more carbon.” The complaint also alleged that the company’s “Keep Forests as Forests” marketing campaign and “Protect-Grow-Restore” messaging for Charmin misled consumers by failing to disclose that most wood pulp used to manufacture Charmin is from Canada’s boreal forest, which the complaint described as “one of the last large primary forests on earth.” The complaint alleged that primary forests store 30¬–40% of the earth’s land-based carbon and that P&G intentionally misled consumers to believe that its suppliers’ replanting efforts in logged areas were able to mimic the previously existing ecosystems. In addition, the complaint alleged improper use of third-party logos regarding sustainability and violation of the Federal Trade Commission Green Guides. The plaintiffs asserted claims of fraudulent concealment and violations of state consumer protection laws on behalf of classes in a number of states. They sought injunctive relief as well as costs, restitution, damages, including punitive damages, and disgorgement.

Consolidated greenwashing class actions alleging that the manufacturer of Charmin Toilet Paper and Puffs Tissues deceptively marketed itself as committed to protecting, regrowing, and restoring primary forests.


Lowry v. Procter & Gamble Co.

<p>This entry was provided by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Please see the terms of use for citation and licensing of third party data.</p>

Greenwashing Class Action Filed Against Charmin Toilet Paper Manufacturer

Filed

United States of America

Washington

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

A loan is a policy instrument where funds are provided to a borrower with the expectation of repaying the principal plus interest.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Actions or measures to adapt terrestrial systems to climate change.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

Social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Activities that relate to the production of goods and services from forests.

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Greenwashing Class Action Filed Against Charmin Toilet Paper Manufacturer

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Fossil fuel

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance