Nestlé Poland sued over alleged greenwashing claims on Nałęczowianka bottled water 

POLAND – Nestlé Poland is facing a lawsuit from environmental organisation ClientEarth over alleged “greenwashing” claims on its Nałęczowianka bottled water packaging.  

The charity filed the case on 17 September with the Regional Court in Warsaw, accusing the company of misleading consumers with sustainability-related slogans. 

The disputed claims include statements such as “I am 100% made of recycled PET plastic (not applicable to the cap and the label),” “I am made from another bottle,” and “I am recyclable.”  

ClientEarth argues that these slogans create the false impression that single-use plastic packaging has no environmental impact. 

ClientEarth is seeking a court order to stop Nestlé Poland from using these claims, alleging they violate consumer protection laws. Negotiations between the charity and the company reportedly took place before the filing but failed to reach a settlement. 

This is not the first time Nestlé has faced scrutiny over recycling and sustainability messaging. In 2023, ClientEarth supported the European consumer protection organisation BEUC in filing complaints against Nestlé, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, and Danone over similar “greenwashing” concerns.  

Those complaints centred on the use of terms such as “100% recyclable” and “100% recycled” and criticised green imagery suggesting environmental neutrality. 

In May this year, Coca-Cola agreed to revise its recycling-related claims on plastic bottles following discussions with the EU’s Consumer Protection Cooperation network. The company committed to updating its labels with clearer messaging. 

ClientEarth argues that consumers remain misled about the true environmental impact of plastic waste. According to the Institute of Environmental Protection in Poland, only 40.7% of plastic waste designated for recycling is actually recycled, with the remainder incinerated, landfilled, or leaking into the environment. 

Global data also underscores the growing plastic crisis. The OECD reports that worldwide plastic production has doubled since 2000 and could triple by 2060 without significant intervention.  

Negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution have failed six times in under three years, with oil-producing nations promoting recycling over production cuts. 

A 2024 Ipsos survey commissioned by ClientEarth revealed that while over 70% of respondents in France, Germany, Great Britain, and Poland view plastic packaging as environmentally harmful, terms like “fully recyclable” or “contains recycled plastic” lead many to believe such products are environmentally positive. 

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