Better Business Bureau Finds that JBS’s “Net Zero by 2040” Claims Are Illusory

The National Advertising Division of the BBB National Programs has ruled that JBS USA’s “Net Zero by 2040” advertising claims cannot be substantiated. In ruling on a challenge brought by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (“IATP”), a not-for-profit organization with the stated mission of working for fair and sustainable food and farm systems, the BBB found that “[w]hen aspirational claims are tied to measurable outcomes an advertiser must be able to demonstrate that its goals and aspirations are not merely illusory and to provide evidence of the steps it is taking to reach its stated goal” and that JBS had failed to meet that test.

While the criteria by which the truth of a company’s advertising claims and the truth of the representations it makes to prospective investors differ, this finding strongly supports those of our submission to the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower concerning JBS’s misleading statements and material omissions made in connection with its sale of $3.2 billion on so-called “green” or “sustainability-linked” bonds to U.S. investors.

A summary of the BBB’s ruling, which JBS claims it is appealing, can be found here.

If you are aware of other examples of companies misleading investors through “greenwashing” claims, please contact a securities fraud attorney at The Galbraith Law Firm by emailing kevin@galbraithlawfirm.com or calling 212.203.1249, for a free confidential consultation and evaluation of your potential whistleblower claim. Whistleblowers can be either company insiders or outside observers who have detected corporate wrongdoing.