Greenwashing Complaint Filed Against Spanish Supermarkets EROSKI, ALDI and El Corte Inglés

ARDE, the Association for Animal Rights and the Environment, has filed a complaint against the Spanish supermarkets EROSKI, ALDI, and El Corte Inglés for alleged greenwashing. The complaint accuses the supermarkets of misleading consumers with images of extensive farmed animal farming in their advertising when in reality, the products come from factory farms. The supermarkets are accused of violating laws related to advertising, consumer protection, and unfair competition.

For example, EROSKI includes images of grazing cows on milk containers, while El Corte Inglés shows milking buckets on a backdrop of grass with flowers. However, government regulations state that dairy cows are fully stabled during the lactation phase, making grazing exploitation unviable. Similarly, ARDE found that pigs depicted on EROSKI Basic sausage packaging live in intensive systems without access to the outside, contrary to the imagery used in the supermarket's marketing campaigns.