Copenhagen, Stockholm, Auckland – Today, Greenpeace Denmark is taking legal action against Arla – the Danish-Swedish multinational and one of the world’s largest dairy producers – for misleading consumers through deceptive climate reporting, creating the false impression that the company is significantly greener than it truly is.
This follows similar complaints filed by Greenpeace Sweden against Arla, and by Greenpeace Aotearoa (New Zealand) against another dairy giant, Fonterra. These actions form part of a growing global trend of legal challenges targeting greenwashing and false climate claims in the livestock industry.
Christian Fromberg, Campaign Lead of Agriculture and Nature at Greenpeace Denmark, said:
“By coordinating complaints against Arla in both countries it calls home, we aim to set a precedent: greenwashing and false marketing will not be tolerated, no matter how big you are and where you are based.”
Greenpeace Denmark has submitted a formal complaint to the Danish Business Authority – the regulatory body in Arla’s home country – backed by extensive documentation showing that the dairy giant has significantly overstated its CO₂ reductions and is engaging in what the organisation describes as “systematic greenwashing”.
Arla claims to have cut supply chain greenhouse gas emissions by 13 per cent since 2015. However, according to the complaint, nearly half of that reduction occurred suddenly in 2016 when the company changed its calculation methodology without adjusting the baseline accordingly. Greenpeace Denmark argues that this methodological shift not only misleads consumers but also breaches financial reporting laws in both Denmark and Sweden.
These laws require, among other things, that information presented in annual reports must be accurate and – critically for this case – comparable over time.
Arla’s emissions reporting was previously criticised by Swedish media in 2022, after which the company pledged to review this issue. Yet two years later, Greenpeace Denmark has found that Arla’s 2024 annual report still relies on the misleading baseline to present its emissions reductions.
Greenpeace Sweden has also lodged two formal complaints against Arla. One has been submitted to the National Consumer Ombudsman, challenging the advertising campaign “Worth a little more”, which gives the impression that Arla’s sustainability initiatives support small-scale farms, grazing cows, and environmentally friendly production. In reality, the company is lobbying to abolish Sweden’s summer grazing law in favour of further industrialisation of its supply chain.
Sweden is the only country in the world where cows have a legal right to graze outdoors during summer. This law is sometimes referred to as the Astrid Lindgren law, as it was presented to the beloved author as a birthday gift by then-Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson.
The second complaint, filed with the Swedish Authority for Business Audit, alleges that Arla has used flawed data in its climate reporting, inflating its claimed emissions reductions.
Gustav Martner, Creative Lead and advertising expert at Greenpeace Nordic, said:
“Arla presents itself as a Big Dairy role model on climate and nature, with a concern for animal welfare. But behind the scenes, it is lobbying to repeal laws that ensure the wellbeing of farm animals. This must stop, and the public needs to know.”
In New Zealand, Greenpeace Aotearoa is suing Fonterra – the world’s largest dairy exporter – over false claims on its Anchor-brand butter packaging. According to the complaint, the packaging included the label “100% New Zealand grass-fed”, despite Fonterra’s own standard allowing up to 20% of a cow’s diet to consist of imported palm kernel – a by-product of the palm oil industry, which is linked to deforestation in Southeast Asia.
Amanda Larsson, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace Aotearoa, said:
“We think shoppers would be shocked to know that the block of ‘grass-fed’ butter they pick up at the supermarket could actually be linked to the destruction of orangutan habitats. Misleading packaging like this is a real punch in the guts to people who are trying hard to do their part by shopping ethically – it’s time for Fonterra to face the consequences.”
Last year, a Danish court ruled against meat giant Danish Crown for claiming that its pork was “climate-controlled”. And although a recent case brought by the New York Attorney General against global meat giant JBS for misleading net-zero claims was dismissed, legal threats against greenwashing by Big Meat and Big Dairy are clearly on the rise.
To highlight the issue of exaggerated climate claims in the dairy sector, Greenpeace Nordic has launched a website on World Milk Day (1 June), compiling greenwashing cases and tactics used by major dairy corporations around the world – helping voters and consumers alike see past the façade of happy cows and green pastures.
ENDS
Notes:
Both Arla and Fonterra’s emissions are made up predominantly of methane, a superheating gas that is around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. A UN methane assessment found that methane emissions must drop by 45% from 2020 levels by the end of this decade, yet these emissions have yet to peak, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
According to a 2024 Greenpeace Nordic report, the combined methane emissions of the world’s three largest dairy companies are estimated to exceed those of some of the biggest fossil fuel corporations, including ExxonMobil.
The global livestock industry is also a major driver of freshwater and air pollution, as well as deforestation of the world’s remaining rainforests. Yet Arla and Fonterra continue to market their products as clean, natural, and environmentally friendly. Greenpeace entities in Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand are challenging these dairy giants in an effort to hold them accountable for their greenwashing and obstruction of essential climate efforts.
Photos and Videos can be accessed from the Greenpeace Media Library.
Contacts:
Amanda Larsson, Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace Aotearoa: +6421722794, [email protected]
Poul Bonke Justesen, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Nordic. +45 26294938, [email protected]
Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]
