Normally, we think of farming as a wholesome operation where people connect with the Earth and produce healthy fruits and veggies. However, one major farming corporation is accused of producing noxious air pollution instead — all the worse because it claims to be a green, eco-friendly company.

Florida Crystals, one of the U.S.'s biggest sugar companies, is on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed March 5 that alleges its practice of burning green leaves is harming the health of Florida residents, the Guardian reported.

What's happening?

Before harvesting sugarcane, growers need to remove the leaves. They can do this in two ways: cutting, also called green harvesting, or burning. Green harvesting is cleaner, but it's more expensive because the grower has to invest in equipment — so Florida Crystals has chosen the money-saving option.

It just so happens that choice is massively polluting.

Florida Crystals' sugarcane fields "emit substantial volumes of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change as well as toxic particulate matter (PM2.5), dioxins, carbon monoxide, ammonia, elemental carbon, and volatile organic compounds that fill the air of the Florida Glades region on a daily basis during the six-to-eight-month harvesting season, poisoning local residents, who are disproportionately poor and people of color," per the court filing quoted by the Guardian.

Why is this burn technique important?

Many of the substances in sugarcane smoke are known to be deadly. Particulate matter, for example, is behind thousands of avoidable deaths in the U.S. each year.

And the owners of Florida Crystals know it, too. In 1991, these wealthy Floridians and their neighbors in the eastern region of Florida successfully lobbied for the state to ban cane-burning when the winds blew in their direction — leaving poorer residents exposed to the smoke that was too dangerous and unpleasant for them to endure.

Not only that, but the smoke is full of heat-trapping air pollution that raises the temperature of the planet — all while claiming to be eco-friendly based on unrelated initiatives, an egregious case of greenwashing.

"Defendants label and advertise Florida Crystals products as 'Farming to Help Save the Planet' with farms that 'help fight climate change [and] build healthy soils,'" said the lawsuit, according to the Guardian.

"Defendants bolster these claims with similar misrepresentations on their sugar products' packaging as well as on consumer-targeted websites and social media, touting Florida Crystals' supposed commitment to fighting climate change and protecting the environment through programs like regenerative farming and using barn owls to control rodent populations. Consumers are being deceived."

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This massive toxic pollution is not necessary. Three of the world's five biggest sugarcane producers — Brazil, India, and Thailand — have banned or restricted burning, as have many other countries. 

What's being done about Florida Crystals' burning?

For now, this lawsuit seeks to impose some penalties on the company. It's filed in California, where Florida Crystals does business. It calls for an end to deceptive packaging and restitution for past misleading claims.

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