Amazon sued over alleged ‘greenwashing’ of sustainable seafood products

Amazon class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Two consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim Amazon falsely marketed and advertised certain products as sustainable seafood and environmentally friendly.
• Where: The Amazon class action lawsuit was filed in Washington federal court.

A new class action lawsuit alleges Amazon falsely marketed and advertised a number of seafood products as being sustainable seafood and environmentally friendly.

Plaintiffs Madeleine Rogow and Adam Sorkin filed the class action complaint against Amazon on July 31 in Washington federal court, alleging violations of state consumer laws.

According to the class action lawsuit, Amazon engages in a “greenwashing” scheme to market numerous seafood products sold on its platform using environmental and ecological representations that products are “responsibly sourced,” “traceable” and “MSC certified sustainable seafood.”

However, the lawsuit alleges that many of these claims are unsubstantiated or outright false, as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification — which Amazon heavily relies on — is allegedly flawed and does not guarantee sustainability.

Amazon seafood products not as sustainable as advertised, class action alleges

The Amazon class action lawsuit alleges, “Amazon knows that consumers rely on such [sustainability] claims when deciding which seafood products to purchase and that consumers often pay more for products they believe possess those attributes.”

However, Amazon’s seafood marketing scheme uses unqualified, unsupported and, at times, untrue environmental and ecological representations, the plaintiffs allege.

Amazon’s point-of-sale disclosures allegedly communicate to consumers that the seafood products originate from environmentally responsible and ecologically sustainable fisheries and supply chains, repeatedly referencing sustainability certifications, responsible sourcing, traceability and environmental stewardship.

“Taken together, the sustainability claims create the net impression that the greenwashed seafood products are sourced in a manner that causes minimal harm to the planet and our oceans — an impression that is, at best, unsubstantiated and at worst, materially false,” the complaint says.

The plaintiffs want to represent anyone who purchased a “sustainable” seafood product from Amazon in the United States through the time of trial.

They are suing for violations of the Washington Consumer Protection Act and fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment and are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

In another Amazon class action, a consumer is suing the company for allegedly failing to honor explicit promises to customers that it would absorb tariffs imposed during the Trump administration.

What do you think of the allegations made in this Amazon class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Steve W. Berman, Shelby Smith and Roxana Moussavian of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Catherine A. Peterson, Rebecca A. Peterson and Krista K. Freier of Hecht Partners LLP.

The Amazon class action lawsuit is Rogow, et al. v. Amazon.com Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-02702, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

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