|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Four pet supply retailers will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlements with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and 22 other DA’s offices in California after allegations its plastic waste bags and other products were misleadingly marketed as biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
Target Corp., Chewy Inc., PetSmart LLC, Petco Animal Supplies Inc. agreed to monetary settlements and took steps to prohibit future sales of the products with “greenwashing” marketing, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley announced last week.
“Dog lovers who care about the environment are often targeted by deceptive advertising about the environmental benefits of certain single-use plastic bags,” O’Malley said in a statement. “These settlements are a win for California consumers who want accurate information about the environmental impact of the plastic bags and other plastic products they buy.”
Plastic dog-waste bags are marketed as being biodegradable yet are disposed of in landfills where biodegradation does not occur, according to the DA’s office. Moreover, dog-waste bags cannot be composted as dog waste can contain harmful contaminants such as E.coli or other harmful bacteria or viruses. In other cases, the bags have also been marketed as being ‘plastic-free’ yet are composed of plastic.
With increased consumer concern and awareness of the environmental impact of buying a product, false advertising deceives consumers to spend more with the belief that their purchased products are more environmentally friendly, the DA’s office said.
All four companies will pay a monetary settlement: $600,000 for Chewy, $500,000 for PetSmart, $375,000 for Petco and $300,000 for Target — for a combined total of nearly $1.8 million.
“After California prosecutors contacted the four companies regarding sales of these products, each took immediate steps to stop the sales, and cooperated with prosecutors to refine their processes to ensure ongoing compliance with the law and to reach a settlement,” the DA’s office noted.
