A recent $1.1 million settlement between JBS USA Food Co. and New York Attorney General Letitia James underscores both the scrutiny around environmental marketing statements and the limits regulators may encounter when pursuing investigations.
Ronald Urbach, partner and co-chair of Davis+Gilbert’s Advertising + Marketing Practice Group, was quoted in Corporate Counsel Magazine discussing the risks companies face when making future-oriented climate claims.
Some observers viewed the JBS resolution as modest and a reflection of the limits of regulators to police how companies market their environmental initiatives. However, Ron cautioned against viewing the settlement as a setback for oversight of environmental marketing statements.
“At the end of the day, [the attorney general] got a negotiated resolution,” Ron said. “They got some changes in business practices.”
Ron emphasized that companies making environmental claims should remain vigilant. With federal climate priorities shifting under the current administration, state-level enforcement remains a significant risk factor.
To learn more about this resolution and what it means for corporate environmental marketing, read the full article below.