Have You Been Green Washed?
In the past several years, environmental awareness has been on the rise all over the world. Suddenly, everybody is interested in "going green" and being environmentally
conscious when making purchases. However, you must have a keen eye when buying "green" products. With its increasing popularity, manufacturers of many products have made
attempts to fool you into thinking their product is good for the environment or their company practices environmental sustainability. This is called "Green-washing".
Until recently, there have commonly been six sins of green-washing. Last year, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing- founders of the Eco-Logo Certification- (www.terrachoice.com)
did an extensive study of thousands of products in North America, Great Britain, and Australia. They found that more than 98% of the products surveyed committed at least one of
the green-washing sins. While conducting their study, they also stumbled across an important seventh sin: The Sin of Worshipping False Labels. According to www.sinsofgreenwashing.org,
the seven sins of green-washing are:
1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-off
A claim suggesting that a product is 'green' based on a narrow set of attributes without attention to other important environmental issues. Paper, for example, is not necessarily environmentally-preferable just because it comes from a sustainably-harvested forest. Other important environmental issues in the paper-making process, such as greenhouse gas emissions, or chlorine use in bleaching may be equally important.
2. Sin of No Proof
An environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information or by a reliable third-party certification. Common examples are facial tissues or toilet tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing evidence.
3. Sin of Vagueness
A claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the consumer. 'All-natural' is an example. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring, and poisonous. 'All natural' isn't necessarily 'green'.
4. Sin of Worshiping False Labels
A product that, through either words or images, gives the impression of third-party endorsement where no such endorsement exists; fake labels, in other words. This often includes environmental wording in an official looking seal or logo that is not legitimate.
5. Sin of Irrelevance
An environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products. 'CFC-free' is a common example, since it is a frequent claim despite the fact that CFCs are banned by law.
6. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
A claim that may be true within the product category, but that risks distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole. Organic cigarettes could be an example of this Sin, as might the fuel-efficient sport-utility vehicle.
7. Sin of Fibbing
Environmental claims that are simply false. The most common examples were products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified or registered.
For more information about green-washing or to view the full green-washing report, click here. You can also download and print a wallet card to take with you when shopping to help you detect green-washing.
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