A French court, Tribunal judiciaire de Paris, found Volvic guilty of misleading commercial practices for labeling its water bottles with claims such as “neutre en carbone,” “100% recyclable,” and similar statements.

The court rejected the notion that the bottles are fully recycled, noting that the bottle material and the label’s adhesive and ink are not guaranteed to be fully recyclable.

The court warned that carbon-neutral claims could mislead consumers and questioned the underlying carbon-neutral certification and the premise of 100% recyclability due to partial recycling and non-fully recyclable label components.

Danone responded by describing the certification process and its ongoing effort to reduce emissions by 35% by 2030 from 2020 levels, while revisiting its neutrality verification approach in light of regulatory expectations.

Danone reiterated its target of cutting global carbon emissions by 35% by 2030 across its operations.

The case fits into broader scrutiny of environmental claims by major brands and reflects evolving standards for “green” labeling in France.

In November 2023, BEUC, including CLCV, filed a complaint with the European Commission over environmental claims on plastic bottles.

BEUC's complaints at the EU level, via its member organizations, signal wider scrutiny of environmental labeling on plastic bottles.

The CLCV welcomed the ruling as the first to address these specific environmental terms for a consumer product, referencing BEUC’s prior EU complaint.

Volvic’s parent Danone plans to appeal the decision, arguing past practices complied with regulations at the time and that the ruling should be reviewed.

Danone noted a 17.9% reduction in Volvic’s carbon footprint from 2019 to 2025 and argued the challenged claims were used only until May 2024 under applicable rules.

Danone intends to challenge the court’s reasoning and its conclusions about past practices that allegedly conformed to the texts then in force.