Greenwashing: Buyer Beware of Wet Paint

Ahhh, the new age of eco-consciousness.  We now have a massive segment of the consumer population with a hunger for organic food, recycled packaging, energy-efficiency, clean air and water–anything that we think will make a difference.

And there’s a flood of green product marketing following the crowd. Companies continue to launch populist advertising and green product labels that are often, at best, misleading.

So how much of this eco-friendly marketing is simply greenwashing, and how do we recognize it?  Who can we trust to regulate ads, packaging, and the truth?

Characteristics of Greenwashing

In 2007, an environmental consulting agency called TerraChoice surveyed over 1,000 products having environmental claims.  They published the results of their findings in the oft-hyperlinked “The Six Sins of Greenwashing”, an in-depth explanation of the types and frequencies of misdirection.  99% of those products had at least some misleading information, here’s a summary of the report:

1. 57% of products had Hidden Trade-Offs
 These products are labeled as “green”, based on only some of their attributes.  Not mentioned are the environmentally harmful aspects of those products.  For instance, compact flourescent lightbulbs are energy-efficient, yet contain hazardous mercury and should not be thrown in the regular trash.

2. 26% - No Proof of their claims
Eco-friendly claims are not easily validated by supporting information, or reliable third-party certification. Example: shampoos claiming they haven’t been tested on animals

3. 11% used Vagueness
Their claims are broad or poorly-defined, and therefore have no real meaning.  Some great examples of politicized language: “Chemical-free” (all things are made of chemicals),  ”Natural” (many natural elements are poisonous like arsenic), and “Eco-conscious” (meaningless without further explanation).

4. 4% had Irrelevant claims
They are truthful, but have no relevance on improving the environment.  Examples: CFC-free window cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides, etc.  Go figure, CFCs (chloroflourocarbons) have been banned for years. 

5. 1% – Straight Lies
These are really just false uses of 3rd-party certifications.  Thankfully, legitimate 3rd-party certifiers maintain publicly-available lists of certified products.

6. 1% - Lesser of Two Evils
Want to smoke some organic cigarettes?  Or spray your lawn with a green insecticide?  That’s what I thought.
 

Regulation, Protection, and Taking Action

So who’s our watchdog in all of this?  In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission is responsible for consumer protection against deceptive advertising. They are currently working to update their “Green Guides”, environmental marketing guides first published in 1992 and revised in 1998.  But in all reality, it would take an egregious violation to get them involved.

There are sporadic blog and news posts about specific incidents of greenwashing, but seemingly no site to aggregate and track these.  Greenpeace is trying, but there aren’t many comments on their site.  An opportunity for Green Nation Today, perhaps?

In all reality, the best we can do at this time is to self-educate by reading blogs and news, and discussing the issues with as many friends as we can.  Check out our additional resource links below for some great information.  Take action, and when necessary blow the whistle in as public a forum as possible.  File a complaint with the FTC, contact your local news outlets, hit the blogosphere–word will spread.

Additional Resources

Check out these links to learn more about green product marketing:

Rough Rules of Thumb for Detecting Greenwashing

The Six Sins of Greenwashing

Complying with the FTC Environmental Marketing Guides

StopGreenwash.org