Living away from home can be a challenge, especially when it comes to making household purchasing decisions. When it comes to everyday personal care and household products, I try to look for products that are both eco-friendly and safe for my body. Three major cues I look for are: ingredients, claims and environmental impact.
Dawn Antibacterial Dish Soap
You might’ve seen Dawn’s antibacterial dish soap commercial before. If not, click here.
The heartwarming message of saving wildlife affected by oil spills, and donating money to the cause, were some of the reasons why I used to use this product. However, one of the main ingredients, Triclosan (anti-bacterial function), has been discovered to be a potentially dangerous chemical in larger quantities by different organizations. Environment Canada noted that Triclosan is hard to degrade in the environment, is an irritant and can be toxic to aquatic wildlife.
Triclosan Everywhere?
I actually found Triclosan in the supposedly “natural” deodorant and toothpaste I use. While some of the ingredients are in their natural, unrefined states, the use of greenwashing on the labels doesn’t really convey the whole picture. Only some of the ingredients are naturally occurring, and we haven’t even considered how it was produced. The Canadian Medical Association cites the extensive use of Triclosan (found in many labeled and unlabeled household products) can contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Proctor & Gamble (P&G) was asked by CBC if their Dawn antibacterial dish soap products were “in compliance with current legal and regulatory requirements in Canada”. P&G claims Dawn products to be in compliance, but is that enough these days to win over consumers? Regulatory requirements and regulations are baselines. They are the lowest expectation. Rather than responding to general regulatory requirements, why aren’t companies making strategic decisions to go above and beyond these measures and setting new standards through education and transparency? Perhaps Seventh Generation is a rare case of strategic green marketing.
This Seventh Generation ad promotes the brand’s green philosophy and has a link on the bottom left educating customers about optical brighteners.
There is Hope!
Seventh Generation is a brand of green cleaning and personal care products. The company has an integrated marketing plan showing its commitment to the environment through its social media channels, website and print ads. The company is very transparent about its ingredients, third party certifications and strategic corporate social responsibility. The website is very informative and the social media channels are interactive platforms for consumer involvement and its green initiatives.
Do you know any other companies out there with transparent green marketing philosophies and campaigns?
-JN