An article we read for class on the 7 Sins of Greenwashing piqued my interest on the variety of companies I could find committing those sins. Naturally, great marketing efforts effectively persuade consumers to overlook the faults of their product and message.

The ability to recognize against these greenwashing sins gives us the opportunity to reject purchasing these products as smarter consumers. Two sins I feel are the most important to see through.

Sin of Vagueness: My immediate first thought to this sin was all of the companies touting “natural” or “wholesome” food products. I realize that consumers often more apply this to the quality of an ingredient than the sustainability aspect of food sourcing, but that term is used so extensive in green marketing jargon that consumers don’t essentially see a difference. As someone who has been heavily involved in shopping for her household CPGs for the past 5 to 6 years, (I’m the one who keeps track of sales and restocking in my family. I coupon too, yeah, call me old) the claims of all-natural or wholesome products I’ve seen way too many of. (i.e. “Made with natural ingredients” or “Made with naturally-sourced ingredients”.) Consumers don’t really know what that means. There’s no true definition for the word “natural”. Consumers believe that they are making a positive purchase when the truth is just shrouded by a generic word with no basis for claims. How about “biodegradable”? While there are specific guidelines for what constitutes as biodegradeable, it doesn’t help when there are no collection programs for biodegrading products. Not everyone is aware that biodegradeable products cannot just be thrown in the compost. There are regulations for what is accepted by every municipal waste disposal program. If the product doesn’t belong, it still ends up in the landfill. So then what was the point of your green purchase?

Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: We are easily directed into focusing on the green aspects discussed on labels that we neglect those that aren’t spoken of. Here’s an ironic example: bottled water. No matter how bottled water brands try to convince consumers of how sustainable they are being with “ethically-sourced” water and “sustainable” plastic water bottles, the truth is, a lot of resources, especially water, go into producing these plastic bottles. The irony is that tons and tons of water go into producing plastic bottles meant for bottling water. Consider all the water that has gone into production of a product meant to contain itself. I feel there needs to be a PSA on bottled water. Personally, I feel strongly against this product category. If we eliminated bottled water, couldn’t there be an increased supply of water for other industries, or for, hmm, drinking?

This CBC article provides some very good examples of greenwashed household products, you should definitely get familiar with some of the common claims in the marketplace! And while you’re at it, also check out this list of top 25 greenwashed products in America.

Source(s):

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/10-worst-household-products-for-greenwashing-1.1200620

http://sinsofgreenwashing.com/findings/the-seven-sins/

http://www.businesspundit.com/the-top-25-greenwashed-products-in-america/