Amazon Accused of Greenwashing Seafood Under Bumble Bee, StarKist Brands
Amazon is facing a potential class action lawsuit in the US over charges it greenwashes seafood items sold under the likes of Bumble Bee, StarKist, Chicken of the Sea and 365 by Whole Foods Market. Amazon misled consumers with terms like “sustainable,” “responsibly sourced” and more
Consumers have allegedly sued Amazon, claiming that the company engaged in "greenwashing" by exaggerating the environmental benefits of seafood sold on its platform. A planned class action lawsuit claims that Amazon's sustainability ads lied to customers about the harm that their seafood purchases caused to the environment.
Labels that include terms like "dolphin safe," "responsibly sourced," "sustainable," "wild caught," and "MSC Certified Sustainable Seafood" are allegedly the subject of a planned class action lawsuit that has been filed in a federal court in Seattle. Consumers were persuaded to believe that Amazon's seafood sourcing did not significantly impact the environment and the oceans due to these assertions.
Claims Made by Plaintiffs Against Mazon
The majority of fishing vessels are not publicly traceable, according to the plaintiffs; thus, those claims lack evidence or are significantly inaccurate. On the other hand, some people disable electrical devices called transponders in order to hide their location. Furthermore, they claimed that at least 20% of the seafood that comes from foreign countries is caught without proper or sustainable practices. Despite this, the complaint claims that Amazon continues to sell the greenwashed seafood items under a variety of sustainability-related banners. In addition, the brand isn't being transparent enough to protect customers from being misled. Seafood items such as tuna, salmon, and others are the focus of the complaint.
Names like Bumble Bee, StarKist, Chicken of the Sea, and Amazon's own 365 by Whole Foods Market were used to sell these products. The plaintiffs claimed that had Amazon been transparent about the seafood products' actual sustainability, they would not have purchased them or would have paid less for them. This complaint alleges a breach of Washington consumer protection laws and wants monetary compensation, punitive penalties, and compensatory damages.
Amazon Restructures AGI Team, Cuts Jobs
Some workers in Amazon's artificial general intelligence branch are being let go. In the midst of ongoing layoffs and investments in artificial intelligence, the company confirmed 22 July. Company officials chose not to comment on the number of layoffs or which departments within AGI were impacted. Groups involved in developing silicon and quantum computing projects are also part of the AGI section, which primarily focuses on creating AI models.
This is a dynamic industry, according to an Amazon representative who spoke with a news organisation. Additionally, in order to move quickly on what matters, the company is honing down on the initiatives that matter most to customers. It will continue to invest in the areas that are most critical for the future of its customers, but it will also have to make some tough decisions, such as cutting jobs inside the AGI organisation, in order to focus.
