Ever get overwhelmed by the number of products claiming to be biodegradable, non-toxic, recycled or recyclable that you encounter on store shelves? Ever wonder how many actually are? Greenwashing is the act of misleading customers about the environmental practices of an organization or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

The reasons for a company to greenwash are numerous, not the least of which is to get consumers to purchase their product or service over another which, actually may be more environmentally responsible but also more honest in the claims it makes. Others may include convincing investors the company is an ethical place to invest their money, satisfying regulators or avoiding critics.

TerrraChoice Environmental Marketing, a leading environmental consulting group and developer of the EcoLogo third-party certification program has developed The Six Sins of Greenwashing which are presented below. This list is a result of their investigations into environmental claims made by 1,018 products in which they found all but one attempted to mislead customers in one of the following ways:

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off
   Suggesting a product is “green” based on a single environmental attribute or a narrow band of attributes without attention to other important environmental issues (of the products reviewed by TerraChoice, 57% committed this sin).
   Examples of hidden trade-offs include the use of recycled materials without consideration to carbon emissions during processing and shipping or low carbon-footprint items that contain hazardous materials.
2. Sin of No Proof
   Any environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information, or by a reliable third-party certification.
   Examples of no proof may be found for claims such as percentage of post-consumer recycled content or whether a product has been tested on animals.
3. Sin of Vagueness
   Environmental claims that are so poorly defined or broad that the real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended customer.
   Examples of vague claims include “chemical free” and “green”.
4. Sin of Irrelevance
   Committed by making an environmental claim that may be truthful but unimportant for evaluation of the product.
   Examples of irrelevant claims may be found for products touted as CFC-free as the compound is banned and no products are manufactured containing it.
5. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
   Green claims which may be true within a product category but risk detracting from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole.
   Examples include organic cigarettes or green herbicides.
6. Sin of Fibbing
   Committed by making environmental claims that are false.

How to spot greenwashing? With the interest in buying green products as high as it is today, it’s certainly tempting for unethical or poorly managed companies to deceive customers. Here’s how to spot tell the good ones from the bad:

1. Look for Eco-labels
   Search for products that have been certified by a qualified and independent third-party that adheres to an international environmental standard such as ISO 14024. Possessing these certifications (such as EcoLogo or Green Guard) is evidence of environmental leadership, third-party verification of ingredient and process claims and a commitment to on-going audit of business practices.
2. Look for Transparency
   The common thread among the Six Sins is a lack of information, whether it is in relation to evidence, definitions or the performance of products in comparison to others. Don’t take companies at their word; ask for reviews, audits, monitoring data or other information related to the environmental performance of their offerings. As long as it’s not a competitive trade secret they should be ready to share.

Although corporations may play a central role in addressing environmental issues it is the role of consumers, along with government to challenge them and hold them accountable. Be prepared to vote with your dollars and do your share to wipe away the greenwash.

- Jaipaul Massey-Singh

This entry is filed under Discussion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.