Green buyer, beware
Ever wonder how green, really, are all those supposedly natural or environmentally friendly products lining the shelves of supermarkets, big-box stores, home improvement warehouses and pet shops?
The answer, apparently, is not that many. "Greenwashing is rampant," critics say, and consumers are confused or gulled by the proliferation of green product certifications offered. That's the upshot of a recent congressional hearing in Washington, where consumer advocates warned that Americans are being bombarded with misleading and false claims about products being biodegradable.
Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice, a Canadian environmental marketing consulting firm, said that the average number of "green" products in stores has more than doubled since 2007, while advertising of them has tripled. Yet his firm studied more than 2,000 products carried in North American stores and found that 98 percent of them made one or more false claims about their green-ness. Toys and baby products, cosmetics and cleaning products were among the biggest offenders, he said.
Many marketers are exploiting consumers' growing demand for environmentally friendly products by claiming third-party endorsement of their merchandise, Case said, but some of those certifications are either weak or phony. (To be fair, TerraChoice markets its own competing EcoLogo certification.)
Dara O'Rourke, associate professor at University of California, Berkeley, told lawmakers there's a growing gap between what consumers want to know and what companies communicate, leading to frustration and suspicion that undercuts the market for green products. O'Rourke has produced GoodGuide to help consumers assess the health, environmental and social impacts of companies and products.
The federal government should take a greater hand in sorting out green product claims, said Urvashi Rangan, an environmental health scientist with Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. Rangan added that the government itself must be above reproach with its own environmental product certifications, such as the Energy Star appliance program, which has drawn criticism as lax.
For more on this congressional hearing into "greenwashing,'' go here. Thanks to Suzanne Goldenberg of the Guardian newspaper for covering it.
Comments
I think it is wonderful that so many people are trying to become greener and more eco friendly. My housemate and I are making some lifestyle changes in order to do our bit and lower our carbon footprint. We have opted to start sending ecards rather than paper greetings. Not only are you saving money if you choose a free site, but more importantly, you are helping the environment by saving paper, and therefore less trees need to be chopped down! I have done my research and finally found the best free environmentally Friendly eCard site. It is really easy to use, which is great if like me you are not very good with computers! I really like this particular site as there is just so much choice. I know e-Cards are not for everyone but think of the environment it really is a great way to help out and do your bit!
Posted by: Jennie. | June 23, 2009 11:05 AM
I think companies who make cleaning products are the worst offenders. I'm looking at you Clorox!!! Seventh Generation, Method, Mrs. Meyers, Dr. Bronners, and TJ's are okay but I tend to stay away from the rest, including Target's products. This may seem a bit snobbish but I'm leery about companies who have not produced "green" items from the start. Then again, I don't buy a lot of cleaning products anyway. Vinegar, baking soda, and TJ's dish soap meet 80% of my cleaning needs.
However, I am glad that the public is becoming more aware of products that are safe for the environment.
Posted by: locallady | June 23, 2009 1:43 PM
One of the major issues we face at GoodGuide, in trying to bring consumers comprehensive information about products and companies, is a widespread lack of disclosure of product ingredients, country of origin, manufacturing processes, and other significant aspects of product development that may impact the health of consumers and the planet. GoodGuide is committed to bringing about a new era of radical transparency in the marketplace. Read the GoodGuide Transparency Manifesto to learn more about our position on this issue: http://www.goodguide.com/issues/2009/3/26/goodguide-transparency-manifesto
Posted by: Jodie at GoodGuide | June 23, 2009 1:51 PM
Healthy products for a safer environment
We all should encourage the use of natural and environment friendly objects at our homes and other places. Let’s stop using products that are harmful and work towards a greener and healthier environment.
http://studylite.in/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=19&cid=cm
Posted by: ishant | June 24, 2009 10:13 AM
Jennie up above doesn't strike you as a shill?
TW: We try to weed out comments that are mercenary spam, i.e., making vaguely supportive remarks while posting links to sites selling products. However, if the comment is substantive, we'll go ahead and approve it, though sometimes without the link. In this case, since the post was about green marketing and products, it opens the door a bit to making specific comments for or against particular products. I did check Jennie's link and it appears to be as she said, a site offering free e-cards. If anyone finds different, please let us know.
Posted by: Eve | June 24, 2009 1:55 PM
Thank's for great info
Posted by: Ann | June 27, 2009 8:03 AM