Consumers across the world are getting more eco-conscious and are choosing to look for eco-friendly options more often. However, it's difficult to make those green choices when companies mislead the public about their products.
A new lawsuit filed in January alleges that Sprouts Farmers Market and manufacturer EcoSoul Home have falsely represented their disposable dishes and cutlery as compostable when they actually contain toxins, ClassAction.org reported.
What's happening?
The products in question include single-use cutlery, plates, bowls, straws, cold beverage cups, and hot beverage cups with lids. All are sold under the Sprouts label and supposedly compostable. But when tested independently, these products contained "significant amounts" of PFAS, according to ClassAction.org.
It's not unusual to find these "forever chemicals" in disposable dishes because they are water- and grease-resistant, making the items hold up better under use. However, these chemicals should never be found in compostable items according to the suit's interpretation of the Federal Trade Commission's "Green Guides," which prohibit materials that release toxins into the compost as they break down.
The case states that this means the Sprouts products are incorrectly labeled because they will "never become part of usable compost."
Why is the PFAS content of these items important?
PFAS are called forever chemicals because they take a long time to break down in the environment. Instead, they build up in soil, water, and in the bodies of animals, including human beings. They are linked to a number of negative health outcomes, including cancer, decreased fertility, asthma, and thyroid disease.
As this lawsuit pointed out, Sprouts and its manufacturer aren't just exposing individual buyers to PFAS with their greenwashing.
"By encouraging consumers to dispose of the products in compost collection bins on the basis that the products are allegedly compostable, [the defendants] are contaminating entire compost streams with PFAS materials that will not break down over time," says the suit, per ClassAction.org.
"The products are then mixed with composted and compostable materials in an industrial composting facility and turned into soil fertilizer for crops and other foods. However, the PFAS will remain uncomposted, thus contaminating the crops grown in that soil. Environmentally motivated consumers who purchase the products in the belief that such products are compostable are thus unwittingly hindering sustainable composting efforts."
What's being done about the contamination?
A class action lawsuit will help in three ways. It could bring awareness to the issue; it could penalize the company financially, persuading it and other brands not to mislabel products; and it could require the company to change the labels on its products so they will no longer mislead the public.
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