Walmart to pay for misleading labels on plastic products
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced a resolution in a consumer protection action against Walmart and Jet.com Inc., a subsidiary of Walmart.
According to District Attorney Dean D. Flippo, the action was in conjunction with 22 other District Attorney’s Offices throughout the state. It was filed in Napa County Superior Court.
The complaint accused Walmart and Jet.com of advertising and selling plastic products in California that were misleadingly labeled as “biodegradable” or “compostable.”
Three Walmart stores in Monterey County were named in the complaint including one store in Marina and two in Salinas.
Walmart and Jet.com are prohibited from selling or offering for sale plastic products labeled as “compostable” without appropriate scientific certification that the products can be composted.
Under the terms of the judgment, Walmart has agreed to pay $875,000 in civil penalties and make additional payment of $50,000 to CalRecycle to fund testing of plastic products marketed to consumers as compostable or degradable. Jet.com agreed to pay $15,000 in civil penalties.
“Consumers are often willing to pay a premium for products that claim to have environmental benefits. This judgment will help ensure that consumers are not misled into paying for environmental benefits they are not receiving,” said District Attorney Flippo.
Walmart and Jet.com also worked with the DA offices to implement significant changes to their websites and to their stores to comply with California law, without admitting liability.
