SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A new class-action lawsuit filed against Procter & Gamble Co. accuses the conglomerate of intentionally misleading consumers of the massive environmental impact of its Charmin toilet paper, alleging P&G makes environmental promises that mask its widespread deforestation practices, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman.

The lawsuit was filed Jan. 16, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and alleges P&G engages in extensive greenwashing practices, all the while supporting deforestation of sensitive Canadian boreal forests all for the sake of toilet paper. Attorneys say the eco-friendly marketing and promotion of Charmin toilet paper intentionally targets consumers hoping to make environmentally conscious purchases, all for the benefit of P&G, a multibillion-dollar corporation. The lawsuit cites multiple instances in which P&G has been intentionally misleading consumers in clear violation of the Federal Trade Commission’s “Green Guides” on environmental marketing claims.

If you purchased Charmin toilet paper, learn more about the lawsuit and your consumer rights.

“P&G intentionally concealed and suppressed material facts regarding its Charmin toilet paper. These material facts include that (i) Charmin sources its wood pulp via industrial logging practices such as clear cutting and burning; (ii) that Charmin suppliers are systematically converting critically important old-growth forests into environmentally devastating Frankenforests; (iii) that only a fraction of its wood pulp is sourced from FSC [(Forest Stewardship Council)] certified forests; (iv) and that the Rainforest Alliance continues to provide certification to Charmin products,” the lawsuit states.

Paper Thin Environmental Practices

The complaint states that P&G fills Charmin’s marketing materials and packaging with eco-friendly buzzwords, hazy FSC and Rainforest Alliance certifications, and a pledge that Charmin “helps to protect, grow and restore trees”. In reality, the lawsuit states, when P&G could no longer use Rainforest Alliance’s well-known certified frog seal, it instead became one of two founding members of Rainforest Alliance’s new Forest Allies program, allowing it to use an altered but nearly identical seal for three years at a cost of $250,000 a year. P&G also does not disclose that the Forest Allies program provides no certification services and doesn’t even operate in the boreal forest.

Online, the greenwashing continues, as attorneys allege P&G uses semantics to hide is deforestation practices: “P&G’s Protect-Grow-Restore messaging about replanting 1-2 trees for every tree used in its products intentionally misleads consumers to believe that its Charmin suppliers are converting the specific boreal forest areas logged with replanting activities that mimic the intact ecosystem that was there before the harvesting occurred. But P&G fails to disclose that, in reality, its suppliers are replanting single species conifers, evenly spaced, and covered in chemical herbicides… These Frankenforests are nothing more than monoculture tree crops that degrade overall forest health, reduce biodiversity and alter the boreal forest’s unique structure. Moreover these Frankenforests have less carbon storage capability and are unsuitable for most wildlife for the first few decades.”

Myth Busting

The firm filing the lawsuit for consumers has compiled a factsheet, outlining P&G’s most commonly touted statements, shedding light on evidence from the filed complaint. Among the myths of P&G’s reforestation efforts and pay-to-play use of the Rainforest Alliance Forest Allies seal, the lawsuit also accuses Charmin’s maker of knowingly supplying misrepresentations of its products on third-party seller websites, like Walmart and Amazon.com.

“P&G puts emphatic effort into the packaging and online marketing of Charmin toilet paper, wasting no opportunity to fill this space with empty promises of its commitment to the protection of trees, restoration of habitats and alleged responsible forestry,” said Steve Berman, managing partner at Hagens Berman. “It’s worse enough to fail to meet those promises in the first place, but P&G has profited from them, raking in billions in revenue from consumers hoping to make planet-friendly purchases at the supermarket.”

“P&G’s excessive greenwashing of Charmin toilet paper conceals an ugly truth that production of its product threatens the boreal forest — a critical resource for our planet that stores 30 to 40 percent of land-based carbon,” Berman said. “It’s clear that Procter & Gamble’s dedication to the environment is paper thin and its only green concern is cash.”

The lawsuit says consumers had no way of knowing that P&G was sourcing its pulp from environmentally devastating clear-cutting sources and doing little to restore the forest to the same level of biodiversity as before the logging occurred.

The lawsuit brings claims of fraudulent concealment, and violation of state consumer-protection laws pertaining to fraud, unfair competition and deceptive business practices. The lawsuit also alleges that P&G is in violation of the FTC Green Guides, which have been incorporated into the consumer protection laws of many states.

Hagens Berman’s legal team is well-practiced in consumer-rights cases and litigation protecting the environment, having tackled extensive and complex cases including Volkswagen’s diesel emissions cheating ($14.7 billion settlement), dozens of record-breaking consumer-protection lawsuits totaling in the billions in recoveries, as well as a lawsuit against Dole Food Company which culminated in the creation of a water filter project to assist local communities whose water sources had been contaminated due to Dole’s alleged environmental practices.

Find out more about the lawsuit against Procter & Gamble related to Charmin toilet paper’s claims of environmental protection.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation law firm with a tenacious drive for achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. Since its founding in 1993, the firm’s determination has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of “Most Feared Plaintiff’s Firm,” MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

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