Four pet supply retailers settle with California prosecutors over misleading environmental claims

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County District Attorney's Office announced that the office and 22 other District Attorney's Offices around the state resolved four "greenwashing" cases with Chewy, Petsmart, Petco and Target.

According to the DA's Office, the case is related to claims that the companies sold pet waste bags and other plastic products labeled with misleading claims about their biodegradability.

“Pet lovers who want to reduce their environmental impact are often targeted by deceptive advertising claims touting supposed environmental benefits of certain plastic bags,” said District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni. “These greenwashing settlements are a win for consumers who have been misled regarding the environmental impact of certain plastic products that they purchase.”

The DA's Office said "greenwashing" refers to marketing claims that allegedly lead customers to mistakenly believe that the product has more environmental benefits than other products. Pacioni said members of the public concerned about plastic pollution are often willing to pay more for items that they think will be better for the environment.

The sale of plastic products claiming biodegradability or with other terms implying that the plastic will degrade is not allowed in California because they are "inherently misleading," according to the DA's Office. They said this is because plastic bags for pet waste are usually allowed to be disposed of in landfills, and the lack of sunlight, moisture and oxygen in a landfill tends to prevent biodegradation instead of allowing it. They also usually cannot be composted because they may contain E. coli, giardia or other bacteria or pathogens.

The DA's Office said some companies also claim that their bags are plastic-free even if the bags are made from plastic.

Chewy settled for $600,000, Petco settled for $375,000, Petsmart settled for $500,000 and Target settled for $300,000. The stipulated judgment for each also included a court order to prohibit similar violations in the future.

Pacioni's office said that after prosecutors in California contacted the companies, each took steps to stop the sales and cooperated with prosecutors.