Greenwashing Lawsuit Against P&G; Charmin Labeled As "Sustainable" Despite Company Sourcing Pulp From Boreal Forests

Jan 17 (Reuters) - A new lawsuit accuses Procter & Gamble (PG.N), opens new tab of deceiving Charmin purchasers with misleading environmental claims, known as greenwashing, about how it sources its toilet paper.

In a proposed class action on Thursday, eight consumers said Procter & Gamble obtains most wood pulp for Charmin from the Canadian boreal forest, one of the world's most important biological ecosystems, through harmful logging practices such as clear cutting and burning. The consumers called this sourcing "completely at odds" with Procter & Gamble's public commitment to protecting the environment, including its "Keep Forests as Forests" campaign and the "Protect-Grow-Restore" logo found on Charmin packages.

The lawsuit also called the display of logos from the Forest Stewardship Council and Rainforest Alliance misleading because Procter & Gamble uses little pulp from FSC-certified forests and the Rainforest Alliance no longer has a certification program.

Procter & Gamble's marketing deceived consumers into buying or paying too much for Charmin, and violated the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides, which help companies avoid deceptive environmental claims, the lawsuit said. The company must be held accountable for its "egregious environmental destruction of the largest intact forest in the world and stop hiding behind their false and misleading claims of environmental stewardship." the complaint said.

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https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/procter-gamble-accused-greenwashing-charmin-toilet-paper-lawsuit-says-2025-01-17/