Nestlé Poland sued for alleged greenwashing

Nestlé Poland has recently found itself engaged in litigation with ClientEarth over claims made concerning the environmental credentials of the plastic bottles used for its Nałęczowianka water, which is sold in the country. 

The Nałęczowianka brand is packaged in bottles which include various statements such as “I am 100% made of recycled PET plastic* (*not applicable to the cap and the label),” “I am made from another bottle,” and “I am recyclable.” 

ClientEarth alleges that Nestlé’s statements give the impression that single-use plastics, such as PET, have no negative impact on the environment. They are seeking an order from the Court to prevent Nestlé from using these allegedly misleading statements in future. 

In their claim, ClientEarth refer to the results of a survey conducted by Ipsos on their behalf, in which public attitudes towards plastic packaging labelled as recyclable were investigated. The survey found that where products are marked with green logos and plastics marked as recyclable, the majority of consumers perceive them as an environmentally positive choice, believe that the product will be recycled successfully if properly disposed of, and are more likely to make a purchase.

ClientEarth allege that in fact only a fraction of single use plastics are actually recycled, either due to consumers not recycling at all or the product not being recycled successfully. ClientEarth says: “in Poland, according to the data provided by Institute of Environmental Protection, only 40.7% of plastic waste that was disposed for recycling was in fact recycled.” 

The essence of ClientEarth’s allegations is that there is a difference between what can be characterized as the recyclable potential of Nałęczowianka water bottles (as ClientEarth allege is set out in the statements on the bottles) and the reality as to how those bottles are used and recycled by consumers.

We await the outcome of the proceedings, which were filed by ClientEarth on 18 September 2025 in the Warsaw Regional Court.