EcoLogo: Defend yourself against “Greenwashing”

A recent study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing found that up to 99.9% of products make unwarranted claims - including misleading statements, false labeling, and unsubstantiated promises that seem to “ride the wave” of society’s newly blooming eco-friendly consciousness. This “greenwashing” is becoming prevalent not only in the travel industry, but in all commerce worldwide, making [...]

A recent study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing found that up to 99.9% of products make unwarranted claims - including misleading statements, false labeling, and unsubstantiated promises that seem to “ride the wave” of society’s newly blooming eco-friendly consciousness. This “greenwashing” is becoming prevalent not only in the travel industry, but in all commerce worldwide, making good use of buzzwords and prhrases like green, natural, organic, biodegradable, not tested on animals, chemical-free, and non-toxic.

However, not only are relevant terms undefined and unregulated - both for manufacturers and consumers - some products are knowingly mislabeled. Over 50% of the products surveyed by TerraChoice demonstrated certain “green” features while ignoring other less admirable characteristics. Over a quarter of products were unable to offer evidence that supported specific claims; think of energy-efficient bulbs that have no information about the degree of efficiency or method of testing. About 10% of products made vague claims that can be misunderstood - chemical-free, non-toxic, and natural are all broad terms that suggest environmental compatibility, yet all compounds are chemicals (such as water), most things are toxic at extreme doses (such as water), and even arsenic is natural.

Fewer products were found to make irrelevant claims (4%), such as being CFC-free. After all CFCs are legally banned, so all products should be able to say this. Only 1% of products used green terminology but still contained problematic ingredients, such as organic or green pesticides and cigarettes. Very few products (less than 1%) actually made false statements, claiming to be certified or recycled without any attempt to meet the claim.

EcoLogo (www.ecologo.org), a green certification program, offers some guarantee that standards are being met. In fact, EcoLogo is North America’s oldest environmental certification, marking its 20th anniversary this year. In recognition of the trend to greenwash, the website has updates listing companies known to fraudulently claim certification.

Launched by the Canadian federal government in 1988, EcoLogo has grown to serve buyers and sellers of green products throughout the United States and Canada, and around the world. In fact, EcoLogo is North America’s oldest environmental standard and certification organization (and the second oldest in the world). It is the only North American standard accredited by the Global Ecolabeling Network as meeting the international ISO 14024 standard for environmental labels.

The EcoLogo program is managed by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, Inc.

Visit www.ecologo.org for more details.