‘100%' Sustainable Claims Pose Mounting Legal Risk for Companies

A new crop of lawsuits is targeting bold marketing claims like “100% sustainable” as companies from Hershey to United Airlines make increasingly ambitious environmental and social marketing assertions on their products or services.

The consumer suits are driven by increased skepticism over broad corporate promises surrounding eco-friendly practices and ethical sourcing that plaintiffs say go too far and are nearly impossible for businesses to back up. In the past month alone, consumers sued food and beverage provider Mondelez International Inc. and The Hershey Co. for touting the cocoa used in Oreos as well as organic and plant-based chocolate bars as ...