We live in a society striving for sustainability : individuals and organizations are constantly developing innovative products to protect the environment from further harm. However, the environmentally-friendly movement comes at a cost to businesses, who must adapt their marketing strategies to persuade the most ecological of consumers to buy their products. Known as eco-labelling, companies entice customers to a product by extolling its environmental benefits. However, as a Globe and Mail article points out, businesses have crossed the line by exaggerating the ecological merits of a product and consequently misleading consumers. The Competition Bureau has developed eco-labelling guidelines: for instance, companies must avoid vague assertions in the label, not declare a product to be substance-free if the substance is not considered in production, and not loosely use the term “sustainable”. With respect to consumer choice, environmentalism is beginning to shape the products that customers buy. Businesses are only trying to cater to the market when employing these advertising techniques, false they may be. Is that so wrong? Yes. Companies are distorting the environmental truth of a product to consumers in the hopes of reaping the benefits. Then the question is: how can businesses ethically compete for customers in this green era?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article44533.ece -Article in The Globe and Mail
http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/iiglabels-lead.jpg-Picture
Categories: