On June 23, a French court condemned Volvic (part of the Danone group) for deceptive commercial practices.

The charges? Claims printed right on their water bottles: "carbon neutral," "100% recycled," and “100% recyclable.”

The court found the carbon neutral label lacked substantiated emissions data, and that caps, labels, and adhesives made the recyclability claims simply untrue. Volvic was ordered to pay €75,000 in damages to consumer association CLCV - and to publish the ruling on its own homepage for six months. Danone has announced it will appeal.

This isn't an isolated case. Across Europe, regulators and courts are increasingly willing to hold brands accountable for wrong or misleading environmental claims. The EU Green Claims Directive is tightening the rules further, requiring companies to verify and substantiate every environmental statement before it goes public.

For any business making green claims, it is time to get structured: solid data collection, a robust disclosure strategy, and evidence behind every statement. That's what keeps you on the right side of the law, and out of the greenwashing headlines.

Getting your sustainability reporting right - grounded in data, aligned with relevant standards - is no longer optional. We can help you get there.

Link to the report from the associations, which raised the cases: Unbottling Greenwashing