A new study is calling agricultural sustainability claims into question. The agricultural industry accounts for roughly one-third of all human-caused GHG emissions globally. Meat and dairy production are known to be major contributors to global climate change. With consumer concerns on the rise, agriculture companies have looked to sustainability claims to reassure customers that their products are sustainable. However, a recent study investigated 1,233 sustainability claims from across the industry and found that shockingly few could be fully supported:
“We… examined each of these 1,233 claims using the Nemes et al. greenwashing framework and found that 98% (1,213) could be categorized as greenwashing. The common use of vague language (e.g., ‘sustainable food producer’) and limited information surrounding how emissions are being measured (e.g., ‘data-driven approach’) call into question the credibility of these claims. Rather than pursuing transformative change, many companies appear to prioritize minor efficiency gains and heavily publicize small-scale or pilot initiatives that do little to impact the broader environmental footprint of animal agriculture.”
I recently wrote about a greenwashing settlement out of New Zealand with multinational dairy producer Fonterra. In that case, Fonterra conceded to violating marketing laws by labeling their beef as “100% grass fed.” If the results of this study are correct, they are just one of many cases of rampant greenwashing in the industry. However, the greenwashing framework employed by the study is an academic standard, not a legal one. While many of these statements may not be fully supported by data, they may not rise to the level of a legally actionable offense. Even still, companies should exercise caution. If there is a widespread practice of deceptive marketing, the plaintiff’s bar won’t be far behind. It’s always best to avoid misleading statements and apply sustainable marketing best practices to avoid greenwashing.
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