Customers are Suing Amazon Over Sustainability Promises About Seafood

Customers filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com (AMZN.O) on Friday, accusing the store of “greenwashing,” or exaggerating the environmental advantages of seafood sold on its platform.

Customers claimed that labels with terms like “dolphin safe,” “responsibly sourced,” “sustainable,” “wild caught,” and “MSC Certified Sustainable Seafood” misled them into thinking that Amazon’s seafood sourcing causes little harm to oceans and the environment in a proposed class action in a federal court in Seattle.

Because the majority of fishing vessels are not publicly traced and some vessels conceal their whereabouts by turning off electronic devices known as transponders, the consumers referred to such assertions as unfounded or materially untrue.

Additionally, they claimed that at least 25% of imported wild-caught seafood is not obtained ethically or sustainably.

“Amazon nevertheless markets the greenwashed seafood products using broad sustainability messaging without providing disclosures necessary to prevent consumer deception,” the complaint alleged.

Chief Executive Andy Jassy stated during a conference call with analysts on April 29 that the Seattle-based company is the second-largest grocery retailer in the United States with over $150 billion in total sales in 2025.

Requests for comment were not immediately answered by Amazon or the attorneys representing it in other consumer class actions.

The business is regularly sued for goods sold on its platform, including those sold by third parties.

Numerous tuna, salmon, and other fish items sold under labels like Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, StarKist, and Amazon’s own 365 by Whole Foods Market are the focus of the case.

The plaintiffs, lead by Chicago’s Adam Sorkin and Los Angeles’ Madeleine Rogow, claimed that if Amazon had revealed its “true sustainable nature,” they would not have purchased or paid less for their seafood.

Due to Amazon’s claimed infringement of Washington consumer protection laws, the case seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, and restitution for Americans.

The complaint filed on Friday does not include the parents of Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, and StarKist, namely FCF, Thai Union Group (TU.BK) in Taiwan and Dongwon Industries (006040.KS) in South Korea.