GreenWashing: Seven Sins of Eco Friendly Labeling

GreenWashing: Seven Sins of Eco Friendly Labeling

Take a walk through any store and you will see labels proclaiming to be free of something harmful, nature friendly, biodegradable or eco-degradable. Claims like these can be attention grabbing, sure, but are they truly beneficial? Is it Greenwashing? Are these companies committing one of the Seven Sins of Eco labeling?

Look at the products claiming to be CFC-free, in truth that is virtually meaningless, why is that?

Little white lies of labeling attempt to get your attention and make you think their product cares about the environment:

When the labeling states “CFCs Free!” Why is it Greenwashing? CFC’s in aerosol products and styrofoam cups have been banned for decades, says TerraChoice

So how should you evaluate ‘Green’ Labels and Claims?

You could play: Name that Sin, found on the Terra Choice site, for a fun way to learn more about sleuthing out how to spot the false claims!

Another way is to check for Independent third-party labels such as:

EcoLogo and Green Seallabels are an easy way to tell whether a product is truly environmentally friendly, checking for these logo shows that the product has passed rigorous testing. Both of these labels are non profits, offering transparent clinical and laboratory testing on only the top 20% of products in each category.

America’s store shelves are filled with products claiming to be good for the environment. Everything from shampoos and cleaning agents to granola bars claim to be “natural” and “earth friendly.” But some environmentalists think you’re being “Greenwashed.”

“Greenwashing a term describing the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly.” (Via Wikipedia)

Scot Case, of TerraChoice, says it found 1,018 products that made environmental claims, ranging from toothpaste to office paper, on retail shelves of six big-box retailers. “When we dug a little deeper, we were actually shocked to discover that all but a few were committing what we’re now calling one of the Seven Sins of Greenwashing via EcoWatch,” Case tells Steve Inskeep.

“There were examples of shampoos that claimed to be certified organic, yet when we investigated and tried to find any sort of evidence of certification, we found none,” Case says.

The biggest sin was the sin of the hidden tradeoff — products that promote a single issue, such as recycled content, Case says. “That’s important, but there are a wide variety of additional environmental considerations: Was there any pollution during the manufacturing phase? What are the aspects of the product that aren’t made of recycled content — are they also environmentally friendly?”

The environmental marketing firm TerraChoice evaluated more than 1,000 retail products for their environmental claims. Based on its research, the firm came up with what it calls

“The Seven Sins of Greenwashing.” (Via: Terra Choice)

1. The Sin of the Hidden Tradeoff is committed by suggesting a product is “green” based on a single environmental attribute (the recycled content of paper, for example) or an unreasonably narrow set of attributes (recycled content and chlorine-free bleaching) without attention to other important environmental issues (such as energy, global warming, water, and forestry impacts of paper).

Examples:

• Paper and lumber products that promote their recycled content or sustainable harvesting practices without attention to manufacturing impacts such as air emissions, water emissions, and global warming impacts.

• Household insulation products that claim indoor air-quality benefits without attention to other environmental aspects, such as recycled content and manufacturing impacts.

2. The Sin of No Proof. Any environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information, or by a reliable third-party certification. TerraChoice says “no proof” occurred if supporting evidence was not accessible at either the point of purchase or at the product Web site.

Examples:

• Household lamps and lights that promote their energy efficiency without any supporting evidence or certification.

• Personal care products (such as shampoos and conditioners) that claim not to have been tested on animals, but offer no evidence or certification of this claim.

• Facial tissues and paper towels that claim post-consumer recycled content without providing evidence.

3. The Sin of Vagueness is committed by every claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended consumer.

Examples:

• “Chemical-free.” In fact, nothing is free of chemicals. Water is a chemical. All plants, animals, and humans are made of chemicals as are all of our products.

• “Non-toxic.” Everything is toxic in sufficient dosage. Water, oxygen and salt are all potentially hazardous.

• “All Natural.” Arsenic is natural. So are uranium, mercury and formaldehyde. Yet all are poisonous.

• “Green,” “environmentally friendly,” and “eco-conscious,” which are meaningless without elaboration.

4. The Sin of Irrelevance is committed by making an environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant and unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products. It distracts the consumer from finding a truly greener option.

The most frequent example of an irrelevant claim relates to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — a principal contributor to ozone depletion. Since CFCs have been legally banned for almost 30 years, there are no products that are manufactured with it. Such products included CFC-free insecticides, lubricants and disinfectants.

5. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils. These are “green” claims that may be true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole. TerraChoice considers a claim to commit the Sin of Lesser of Two Evils when environmental qualifiers such as “organic” or “green” are placed on products in which the entire product category is of questionable environmental value.

Examples:  “Organic cigarettes” /  “Green” insecticides and herbicides.

6. The Sin of Fibbing is committed by making environmental claims that are simply false.

Examples:

• Several shampoos that claimed to be “certified organic,” but for which our research could find no such certification.

• A caulking product that claims to be “Energy Star” registered, but the official Energy Star Web site suggests this is false.

• A dishwasher detergent that purports to be packaged in “100% recycled paper,” and yet the container is plastic lined.

7. The 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.

(Reprinted with permission from: TerraChoice)

Wait there is good news!

A recent study, done in 2010, shows that the incidence of greenwashing is declining, believed to be due to consumer awareness. Surprisingly, big box stores have more “sin-free” items than smaller boutique type stores and there is an increase in good eco labeling and understanding of how the labels work.