French-multinational food company Danone is being taken to court over its global plastic pollution by three environmental groups. ClientEarth, Surfrider Foundation Europe and Zero Waste France have filed a lawsuit against the owner of brands such as Evian, Activia and Volvic, due to the firm “burying its head in the sand” when it comes to plastics. Under France’s ’Duty of Vigilance’ law, large companies must publish a ‘vigilance plan’ that identifies the environmental and social risks stemming from their activities globally. However, the French food company’s vigilance plan remains “completely silent on plastics”, according to ClientEarth and its partners. In 2021, Danone was estimated to have used over 750,000 tonnes of plastic in the packaging of its products – representing an increase from 2020 levels. Rosa Pritchard, Plastics Lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “Danone is trudging ahead without a serious plan to deal with plastics, despite clear concern from climate and health experts and consumers, and a legal obligation to face up to the issue. It’s 2023 and high time Danone started implementing proper solutions such as refill and reuse beyond a few pilots to give consumers real access to a sustainable model.”
BREAKING: We’re taking @Danone to court over its plastic pollution.
Danone is among the top 10 plastic polluters worldwide. So along with @surfridereurope & @ZeroWasteFR, we’re suing.
Read the full story here: https://t.co/qrk2Ec1LDJ pic.twitter.com/UTNRURN7kW
— ClientEarth (@ClientEarth) January 9, 2023
