Environmental Working Group (EWG) filed a lawsuit against Tyson Foods, Inc.—“the second largest meat company in the United States and the world”—in D.C. Superior Court alleging that Tyson made false or misleading marketing claims regarding its commitments to reduce carbon emissions associated with its products. EWG alleged that Tyson “knowingly capitalizes” on consumers’ “well-intentioned preferences by advertising in numerous outlets a pledge to achieve ‘net-zero’ climate emissions by 2050 and marketing ‘climate-smart’ beef” but that the company “has no plan to achieve these goals and is taking no meaningful steps to do so.” EWG alleged that 85% of Tyson’s greenhouse gas emissions are from beef and that beef produced by Tyson would constitute “one of the most climate-intense foods on the market” even if “a slight reduction” in emissions from its “industrialized processes” were possible. EWG alleged, moreover, that it would not be possible to achieve substantial reductions in emissions from the company’s meat production—including nitrous oxide emissions from production of animal feed and enteric and manure management methane emissions—and that “the offsets required to zero out Tyson’s meat production emissions are both unfathomable and unavailable.” EWG alleged that even if the company reduced actual emissions by 75%, offsetting the remaining emissions would require between 30 and 48 million acres of preserved U.S. forest. EWG asserted that Tyson’s advertisements and representations regarding net-zero emissions and “climate-smart beef” violated the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act. EWG asked the court to enjoin Tyson from making the false or misleading statements and to require “redress of consumer misunderstanding about the climate impact of its industrial beef production.”

Lawsuit alleging that Tyson Foods made false or misleading marketing claims regarding its commitments to reduce carbon emissions associated with its meat products.

Environmental Working Group v. Tyson Foods, Inc.

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Lawsuit Alleged that Meat Producer Made False or Misleading Net-Zero and “Climate-Smart Beef” Claims

Filed

United States of America

District of Columbia

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A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

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Lawsuit Alleged that Meat Producer Made False or Misleading Net-Zero and “Climate-Smart Beef” Claims

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Renewable energy

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance