Plaintiffs in a proposed class action lawsuit against Amazon are urging the court to reject the company’s attempt to scrap the case, which accuses the retail giant of misleading consumers about the environmental impact of its toilet paper and other paper products.
In a Friday filing, lead plaintiffs Rey Rain Ramos, David Ramirez, Robert Parker, and Roy Campbell argued that while certain statements made by Amazon may be factually accurate, the overall messaging — including the “Climate Pledge Friendly” label and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo — created a misleading impression of sustainability. The plaintiffs contend that these representations led consumers to believe Amazon’s products were sourced from responsibly managed forests, when in fact only a small portion of the wood pulp comes from FSC-certified forests.
“Amazon now attempts to hide behind a third-party certification, arguing that technically accurate representations cannot deceive anyone,” the plaintiffs stated. “However, even technically true statements can mislead consumers under the Consumer Protection Act, as confirmed by the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides.”
Amazon previously sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming the allegations amounted to criticisms of the logging industry rather than the company itself. Plaintiffs countered that Amazon’s own representations, not consumer assumptions, created the misleading impression. They further challenged Amazon’s claim that the proposed class is too broad, noting that courts rarely grant such motions before discovery.
The plaintiffs originally filed suit in March and amended their complaint in May, asserting that consumers would not have purchased or paid the same price for Amazon Basics and Presto paper products had they known the true sourcing practices.
The plaintiffs are represented by Steve W. Berman, Catherine Y.N. Gannon, and Meredith Simons of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, and Rebecca A. Peterson of George Feldman McDonald PLLC. Amazon.com Inc. is represented by David A. Bateman, Jennifer J. Nagle, Robert W. Sparkes III, Loly G. Tor, and Abraham M. Weill of K&L Gates LLP.
