Better bananas: Chiquita settles lawsuit over green marketing, but the legal battle isn't over
Better bananas: Chiquita settles lawsuit over green marketing, but the legal battle isn't over
A Seattle nonprofit alleges that Chiquita banana suppliers – certified sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance – pollute water supplies in Guatemala, but the banana giant stands by its record
Sarah Shemkus
Friday 19 December 2014 16.10 EST
Chiquita has reached a settlement in a lawsuit over its claims of environmentally friendly production, which a Seattle nonprofit alleges amounts to deceptive marketing. Now the group – Water and Sanitation Health, or Wash – has filed an additional lawsuit against the Rainforest Alliance, claiming that the environmental organization is also responsible for unfair marketing because it certified Chiquita farms as sustainable.
In a statement, the Rainforest Alliance called Wash’s allegations untrue and said it stands by its auditing practices. The environmental group also objected to the lawsuit’s charges that the alliance sells its endorsement. Businesses that receive certifications must meet rigorous sustainability standards, the statement said.
Wash sued the Chiquita at the end of last year, saying that the North Carolina-based fruit distributor’s partner farms in southern Guatemala have contaminated drinking water with fertilizers and fungicides – and have air-dropped pesticides perilously close to schools and homes.
Wash unknowingly and unintentionally helped fund “significant environmental harm to ecosystems” when it bought Chiquita bananas, the now-settled suit alleges. The new suit, filed Wednesday, claims the Rainforest Alliance is also complicit, because the group certified Chiquita farms and advertised its collaboration with the fruit company.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/dec/19/chiquita-lawsuit-green-marketing-bananas-water-pollution