Help Hold Amazon Accountable

Planet Green Sues Amazon for $500 Million Read Complaint Here

Amazon is leveraging Section 230 to gain profits at the expense of U.S. businesses and industries, all the while exacerbating a critical environmental issue.

Planet Green Cartridges, Inc., a U.S. printer cartridge recycler, and remanufacturer, has filed a $500 million lawsuit against tech giant Amazon. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon has engaged in false advertising and unfair competition by participating in the sale of newly manufactured, imported clone printer cartridges that are deceptively marketed as "remanufactured" and misrepresented as eco-friendly recycled products.

At the center of this legal dispute lies Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants internet companies immunity from legal liability for content posted by third parties. The main issue revolves around Planet Green's numerous requests for Amazon to remove the sellers of these illicit products that have been hurting its business and has destroyed the U.S. printer cartridge remanufacturing industry. Amazon has ignored these requests and responded that they are not accountable for the content provided by third-party sellers, citing the protections granted by Section 230.

This broad immunity creates a significant challenge when trying to hold overseas sellers accountable for illegal activities according to U.S. law. Additionally, Amazon has a responsibility, as outlined in its policies, to moderate and regulate its platform. The concern is that failing to remove sellers who intentionally deceive consumers with unsupported claims while profiting from their product sales implicates Amazon in these actions, and they should bear responsibility.

Regardless of the legal outcome, Amazon faces an ongoing issue related to the proliferation of plastic waste resulting from sales of these single-use clone printer cartridges produced by overseas manufacturers and distributed through Amazon's warehouses. The larger question is what measures Amazon, and its founder Jeff Bezos will take to address this environmental issue. This calls for Amazon to align its actions with its environmental mission and actively work towards minimizing the environmental impact of the products sold on its platform. (Read complaint Planet Green v Amazon)

Gofundme Objectives:

Our David vs. Goliath legal battle will be extremely challenging and aims to achieve several important goals and we need your support:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Plastic Waste: Say NO to clone single-use non-recyclable printer cartridges imported from overseas. These cartridges not only exacerbate plastic waste but historically have driven up the cost of printing. The surge in clone printer cartridges has prompted name-branded printer manufacturers to hike up prices over the years to offset their market share and revenue losses, adversely affecting consumers.

Every year, over 375,000,000 used printer cartridges, tainted with ink and toner residue, find their end in U.S. landfills.

Virtually every household, business, school, and government agency rely on printers that consume these cartridges daily. The printer cartridge market is booming, with projected annual sales of $38.4 billion by 2026. Yet, this success comes at a grave cost to our environment.

Take a step back to the 1980s, when the U.S. remanufacturing Industry for used ink and toner cartridges was born. It emerged as a solution to the mountains of discarded plastic cartridges left in the wake of OEM giants like HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, and Xerox.

In the early 2000s, overseas manufacturers swept into the U.S. market, flooding it with generic clone single-use and counterfeit printer cartridges. A heartless disregard for the environment accompanied this invasion, as these cartridges bore no option for recycling. While the original printer brand manufacturers provide a recycling take-back mail-in services, overseas manufacturers of clone printer cartridges offer nothing, leaving the consumer with no choice but to dispose of their spent cartridges in the trash.

Online platforms such as Amazon opened their doors to foreign manufacturers to sell direct-to-consumers. This wave overwhelmed U.S. printer cartridge remanufactures, eroding the very foundation of a thriving U.S. circular economy.

The repercussions were dire. Countless U.S. businesses, once dedicated to diverting printer cartridges away from landfills, shuttered their doors. A once booming U.S. industry of recycling and remanufacturing now teeters on the brink of extinction.

The aftermath is heart-wrenching: Used printer cartridges, once a source of potential, now bear no value, relegated to the trash. A tidal wave of plastic waste burdens Electronic Waste Recyclers, as many recycling facilities refuse to accept used cartridges, exacerbating an already dire environmental crisis.

In 2017, under Operation National Sword the Chinese government banned the import of used plastic printer cartridges headed for that nation's recycling processors. The ban is part of China's efforts to clean its environment and improve its quality of life.

But what about our country? Why has the U.S. government allowed our nation to become a dumping ground for used printer cartridges, while foreign manufacturers run rampant, dismantling the U.S. printer cartridge remanufacturing industry?

Planet Green, one of the last defenders of U.S. printer cartridge remanufacturers, has weathered the storm, fighting against unfair trade practices and unlawful competition. For over 23 years, we've witnessed the painful demise of countless U.S. companies, victims of this ruthless onslaught.

Your Support Matters:

We can't achieve these objectives without your help and support. By standing together, we can send a powerful message that unfair trade, illegal sales practices and anti-competitive behavior will not be tolerated.

Planet Green’s success against Amazon's Section 230 protection claim will pave the way for fair and lawful competition on online platforms.

Funds raised will go toward efforts to pass legislation to ban the importation of single-use clone cartridges to help revive the U.S. printer cartridge remanufacturing industry.

Your support matters. It's time for lawmakers to act and hold online platforms accountable for their inaction. Our environment is at stake, and American businesses and jobs hang in the balance.

Key Links to learn more about these important issues: