Amazon faces class action over seafood sustainability claims

Amazon is facing a projected people enactment successful the US implicit allegations that it misrepresented the biology sustainability of seafood sold connected its platform.

The ailment was filed by Hagens Berman successful the US District Court for the Western District of Washington.

The suit specifically challenges Amazon's usage of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, which it describes arsenic operating connected a "pay-for-play" basis.

According to the filing, Amazon utilized descriptions specified arsenic "dolphin safe", "sustainable", "responsibly sourced", "traceable", and "MSC Certified Sustainable Seafood" for seafood products sold done its platform.

The products cited see Amazon's 365 by Whole Foods Market enactment and third-party brands Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea and StarKist.

The suit besides alleges these statements gave consumers the content that Amazon's seafood sourcing causes small harm to oceans and marine ecosystems.

It says that content was either not supported by grounds or, successful immoderate cases, was factually incorrect.

In addition, the ailment besides alleges that products carrying the certification, oregon the suppliers linked to them, are not needfully pursuing genuinely sustainable practices.

The filing said: "Amazon nevertheless markets the greenwashed seafood products utilizing wide sustainability messaging without providing disclosures indispensable to forestall user deception."

The suit further notes that MSC has acknowledged that "greenwashing" tin see biology claims that are misleading oregon unclear.

Hagens Berman argues that Amazon's behaviour breaches the US Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides, which caution against unqualified biology payment claims and authorities that certifications and seals tin connote broader biology benefits than whitethorn beryllium accurate.

The suit besides alleges Amazon does not archer consumers that much than 76%, by its ain count, of sportfishing vessels run extracurricular nationalist tracking systems and often crook disconnected their transponders.

It says traceability unsocial does not mean a merchandise is sustainably sourced.

These allegations are presented successful the ailment arsenic breaches of Washington authorities user extortion instrumentality relating to misrepresentation and concealment.

The suit is seeking reimbursement for consumers who accidental they would not person bought the seafood products if they had known the sustainability claims were, arsenic alleged, inaccurate.

It besides seeks an injunction to halt Amazon from continuing the practices acceptable retired successful the complaint.

The filing refers to Amazon nationalist materials successful which the institution says that "sustainability isn't a abstracted inaugural – it's halfway to however Amazon operates".

Retail Insight Network has approached Amazon for a response.

"Amazon faces people enactment implicit seafood sustainability claims" was primitively created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.