Terrachoice, an environmental marketing firm, says it found 1,018 products making eco-conscious claims, and that all but one of those products committed what they have marked as the “Six Sins of Greenwashing.”“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,” said Scot Case, a member of Terrachoice.
These are the ‘sins’ as follows:
The hidden tradeoff: This suggests a product is “green” based on very few factors, while potentially ignoring other environmental issues (for example, paper products that have recycled content but still have produce air and water emissions).
No proof: Products that lack certification of their “greenness” from a reliable and easy-to-access source (for example, energy efficient household lighting).
Vagueness: Claims that are too broad for consumers to understand properly (labels like, “All natural.” There are even poisons that are natural.)
Irrelevance: Making environmental claims that are unhelpful or unimportant for consumers (for example, CFC-free products...although CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, have been legally banned for three decades).
Lesser of two evils: When the label of “green” is placed on a product that, although may be “organic,” is still a product that as a whole, is questionable in its effect on the environment (organic cigarettes).
Fibbing: Outright false statements (Terrachoice found a detergent claiming to be packaged in “100% recycled paper” although it was wrapped in plastic).
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16754919
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