Do you ever have the experience of buying something and
wondering if you’ve been “greenwashed?” The term refers to companies that
market a product as “green” when in reality it’s actually not so green. Companies
can be nimble creatures when it comes to finding ways to make more money from
the same product. As the public becomes increasingly aware of the need for
environmentally friendly products, it’s fairly easy for an adept marketing
department to slap an “all natural” or “earth friendly” claim on the same
product they’ve been selling for years.
As in the claim “compostable.” Without a working definition,
you could almost say everything is compostable. It might take a million years
if it’s Styrofoam or a little less if it’s plastic. My discover card is compostable.
When I needed a new card a few years back, I went online to choose my own
personalized card. Of the many, many options, one featured polar bears and
claimed to be “compostable”. In my fervor to be “green” I thought – great! I
want a compostable card! Whenever a store clerk commented on my cute polar
bears, I’d tell her, “I could really care less about polar bears but the card
is compostable!”
In reality, my compostable card will never be composted
(although the numbers are wearing off rather quickly). How likely is it that I
will toss a credit card with a rather high lending limit into my compost pile
when it expires? Seems like a dangerous practice. I may test out the theory
when the current card expires in a controlled composting environment. Another
fun project for my skeptical hubby! I don’t recall any claims as to the length
of time it would take to compost my credit card when I selected it. And what’s
even more curious is that when I went on the discover site today to hunt down
that information, the polar bears were still available, but no longer labeled
“compostable.” Hmmm.
Maybe the Greenwashing Index got to them. This index was
developed by the University of Oregon and
So how do you know if you’ve been greenwashed? For me, it
mostly comes down to my gut. I find it hard to believe that any product made by
Proctor and Gamble will ever be “green”. The company markets too many toxic products
to counter any “green” effort that could be made. If I’m buying a detergent or
similar product, I’m going to go with a company founded on green principles
like Ecover or Seventh Generation. Once again, buying locally made and sourced
products gives you the opportunity to know the integrity of the companies with
which you do business.
There are a few agencies out there that certify “greenness”
in one way or another, but you should also be aware that there are plenty of “industry
sponsored” agencies that certify environmentally friendly claims. So sometimes
what looks like the real deal is actually a bunch of woo-ha-ha. Here are a few
legit certifications:
The most important thing you can do is hold the companies
you buy products from to their claims. Investigate the product and the company.
If it says “made from recycled materials”, check the label for a number – what
percentage is from recycled materials? If the company is serious about their
greenness they will have details. Claims like “eco safe” are tossed around without
any particulars as to what makes the product eco safe. If there are no facts
backing up the claims, be very skeptical.
If you’re serious about being an eco-friendly consumer, it
may require a little effort on your part to be certain you haven’t been
greenwashed. I’m fairly certain that I was greenwashed when it comes to my
credit card. But every time I pull out my polar bears, I’m reminded to know
what I’m buying and who I’m buying from lest I become a victim once again of
greenwashing.
No comments:
Post a Comment