"Danish firm’s ‘climate-controlled pork’ claim misleading, court rules", 1 March 2024

Europe’s largest pork producer misled customers with its “climate-controlled pork” campaign, Denmark’s high court has ruled in the country’s first climate lawsuit.

Campaigners argued that Danish Crown greenwashed its meat with round, pink stickers on its packaging that said pigs were “climate-controlled”, along with a marketing campaign that claimed its pork was “more climate-friendly than you think”.

The court ruled that the first claim violated Denmark’s marketing act, noting the labels came from Danish Crown itself rather than an independent body, but found the second claim was backed up well enough to use.

“Today’s verdict sends a resounding message, not only within Denmark but throughout Europe, that misleading marketing tactics cannot hide behind the shield of freedom of speech,” said Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, the general secretary of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, one of the plaintiffs. “Profiting from climate promises must be backed with legitimate climate action.” ...

Danish Crown stopped using the label in 2021...

The case, brought by the Vegetarian Society of Denmark and the Climate Movement, is the first time greenwashing has been taken to trial in Denmark. Activists hope it can force wider shifts in the food industry as companies face greater scrutiny from advertising watchdogs and more pressure from courts.

On Thursday the state of New York filed a suit against the US arm of JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, accusing it of misleading customers over its climate goals.

The court ordered Danish Crown to pay some of the legal costs, with a value of about €40,000 (£35,000). The company did not respond to requests for comment...