Amazon Basics Paper Products Eco-Friendly Advertising

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

Hagens Berman’s consumer and environmental protection legal team filed a class-action lawsuit against Amazon alleging it made false claims about the damaging environmental impact of its Amazon Basics toilet paper and paper towel products.

The company has led consumers to believe it is a leader in environmental stewardship committed to “protecting natural resources.” However, the lawsuit claims Amazon is sourcing its paper pulp from suppliers contributing to the deforestation of the sensitive Canadian boreal forest. Amazon claims to be “protecting forests” and sourcing for paper products from supply chains that are 100% FSC or third-party certified, and that it is leading the charge to develop forests as “nature-based solutions” to carbon neutralization, despite doing the opposite, according to the lawsuit.

ABOUT AMAZON’S ECO-FRIENDLY CLAIMS

Amazon invests significant resources to market its brand as a leader in environmental responsibility. In this effort, the company created The Climate Pledge campaign, even going as far as spending an estimated $300-400 million to acquire naming rights to Seattle’s Climate Pledge sports arena. Under The Climate Pledge campaign, Amazon also developed the Sustainability Leaf and Climate Pledge Friendly logo initiatives. According to the retail giant, the logos identify eco-friendly products on its website and assists consumers in finding products that “help preserve the natural world.”

The Amazon Basics toilet paper and paper towel point-of-sale webpages prominently display both sustainability logos and information claiming that the products are “made with materials from well-managed forests, recycled materials, and/or other controlled wood sources.” In addition, the webpages include labels indicating the products are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The lawsuit states these tactics have concealed the truth about Amazon’s forestry sourcing practices and environmental impact.

AMAZON’S ALLEGED PRACTICES

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon fails to disclose that its Amazon Basics paper products contribute to the devasting destruction in Canada’s boreal forest — one of the last remaining primary forests on Earth. While Amazon has created a fund to support reforestation efforts, the lawsuit claims that none of this funding is directed toward regenerating the boreal forest, a critical resource in the planet’s fight against climate change.

In 2024, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published its annual Issue with Tissue report that grades the environmental impact of household tissue. Amazon Basics toilet paper and paper towels both received an F grade. The report states that the products are derived from “100% primary forest pulp, and an unspecified portion of ‘controlled wood’, which is the term used by the FSC to designate wood originating from non-FSC-certified forests.”

Amazon’s eco-friendly promises allegedly conceal deforestation and demonstrates a disregard for the planet’s precious ecosystems, all while turning a blind eye to the impact on eco-conscious consumers.

YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS

Hagens Berman believes consumers have a right to honest information about the products they buy. When those products are marketed, sold and advertised preying on a buyer’s wish to make an environmentally conscious choice, a company has a duty to provide factual information. We believe Amazon has orchestrated a widespread and costly effort to cover up the company’s alleged deforestation and disregard of the environment. The firm’s seasoned consumer-protection and environmental attorneys are investigating the rights of consumers like you to payback, as well as methods to apply to law to put an end to Amazon’s alleged actions.

TOP CONSUMER & ENVIRONMENTAL LAW FIRM

Hagens Berman is one of the most successful litigation law firms in the U.S. and has achieved total settlements valued at more than $320 billion in class-action lawsuits against the world’s largest product manufacturers, high tech companies, banks, automakers and more. Hagens Berman has achieved record-breaking settlements in consumer-protection lawsuits, and your claim will be handled by attorneys experienced in this area of law. The firm also specifically and expertly takes on environmental complex litigation, upholding the rights of our ecosystem under the law.

NO COST TO YOU

In no case will any class member ever be asked to pay any out-of-pocket sum. In the event Hagens Berman or any other firm obtains a settlement that provides benefits to class members, the court will decide a reasonable fee to be awarded to the legal team for the class.