Danone is sued for negligent use of plastic

The French company Danone is being sued by three environmental groups – ClientEarth, Surfrider Europe and Zero Waste France.

The three non-governmental organizations accuse the company of neglecting obligations regarding the care of plastics, and claim that it has failed to sufficiently reduce plastics in its ecological footprint.

According to the New York Times report, Danone is one of the top ten companies polluting the planet with plastic. With the production of the material being linked to the fossil fuel industry and global warming, the three environmental groups want the French company to comply with the duties stipulated by the country’s law, which requires large companies to declare their environmental impact, and sues them if they fail to do so.

Despite the French law forcing companies to more consciously measure their use of plastic, Danone has failed to do so, according to the lawyer for one of the environmental groups – ClientEarth. The company denies the accusation, stating that it has done everything to reduce the use of plastic, strives to reuse it, and to integrate alternative forms of plastic into production.

In 2015, the plastics industry accounted for 4.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Counting Danone alone, it used 750,000 tons of plastic in water bottles, yogurt containers and other packaging in 2021.

This process could be the beginning of a greater concern regarding the production of plastic and consequent pollution of the planet, as well as an alert to the social responsibility of companies in the face of the climate crisis.