The recent release of the Competition Bureau’s report on environmental guidelines has generated good discussion around the need to clamp down on “greenwashing” but ends up providing fewer deterrents for greenwashers then acting as a reiteration of old guidelines.

In the Competition Bureau report Environmental claims: A guide for industry and advertisers, best practices for users of ISO 14021 (Type II environmental labeling or self-declared environmental claims) are provided for use in the Canadian marketplace.

Compliance to certain provisions of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and the Textile Labelling Act is encouraged in this report, but only enforcement can provide real teeth. The Competition Bureau’s report provides useful guidelines for industry and advertising professionals but tends to be more bureaucratic and less useful to this audience.

While Canada is ahead of the United States, which has the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, Europe and Australia both appear to have stricter enforcement in place. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings this past winter against GM Holden Ltd for allegedly making false representations in numerous “Saab is Green” vehicle advertisements, claiming them to be carbon neutral. Norway has banned the use of any such claims in reference to vehicles.

TerraChoice Environmental Marketing submitted comments to the Competition Bureau and has testified in front of the FTC, making reference to the real dangers of greenwashing (the Six Sins of GreenwashingTM). Coincidence or not, both Bureaus soon afterwards issued their environmental claims guidelines.

While the Competition Bureau guidelines are useful, what we really need is enforcement of the laws already in place. For marketers and industry professionals, this will mean stricter adherence to environmental labeling standards. For consumers, it will mean a move toward a truthfully sustainable marketplace.

Companies doing good environmental deeds are seeing the rewards and, in this case, the awards!

The EcoLogo program recently presented TransGlobe Property Management Services with an award for their environmental leadership displayed by purchasing EcoLogo-certified cleaning products from Avmor, one of Canada’s leading green companies. TransGlobe purchased these products for their own corporate offices as well as the buildings they operate and manage across Canada.

This is a company dedicated to property management with integrity.

TransGlobe committed to purchasing and using a range of ‘green’ cleaning products from Avmor which are all third-party certified by the EcoLogoCM program. EcoLogo-certified Avmor cleaning products help companies, like TransGlobe, reduce their environmental footprint and provide a safe and healthy environment for employees and building tenants.

Thanks, TransGlobe, for leading this environmental initiative. Watch as more companies see the rewards of greening their practices. Will your company be next?

A sample of EcoLogo certified products on display include:

BioSource’s Pet Stain Remover, EcoEthic’s Cream Cleanser, BioVert Dish Cleaner, Shampoo by Nature Clean, Oxibrite’s Toilet Cleaner, Attitude’s All Purpose cleaner, Zebra pens, Nana Essence shampoo and conditioner, Merchants of Green coffee, Cascades’s Bathroom Tissue and Paper Towel from Atlantic.

A modern model of an environmental home, the solar house combines construction materials with technological innovations to create a healthier living environment. Throughout the house, displays help visitors to discover ways to “green” their home.

The solar house was designed by students from McGill University, the Université de Montréal and the École de technologie supérieure for an international competition - the 2007 Solar Decathlon - in Washington, D.C.

Visit Environment Canada’s site for more information on this environmental project.

Many workplaces today are adopting green policies and practices, but are they noticeable at desk level?

When looking around a computer station, it’s easy to notice all of the paper strewn about, disposable coffee cups piled up and the computer chugging away, even while not in use.

Individuals can start improving their indoor environment at work, starting with their desks. While recycling paper is important, reducing paper consumption is an even better option. Switch printer options to print on both sides of the paper. When going to get a cup of coffee in the morning, bring a reusable mug, don’t take the throw-away cup. And finally, change the settings on computers so they go into sleep mode after 10 minutes instead using up all that energy when they are not in use.

Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin co-authored True Green @ Work, a guide that provides these as well as countless others ways (100, in fact) to make the office environment greener. Click here to find out more about this book and how you can get a copy for your office.

Greenbiz.com posted an article recently about a “robust” growth in green investing in 2007, caused by a rise in overall participation in green initiatives.

The 2008 World Wealth Report, released by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch, looked at the drivers and inhibitors of wealth generation and how they influence individuals with at least $1 million in financial assets.

Among the findings, investors are supporting innovative research and development initiatives in the areas of alternative fuels and renewable energy in greater numbers. For example, total investment in the clean technology sector increased to $117 billion U.S. in 2007, up 41 per cent from 2005.

The report concludes that the unilateral pursuit of economic progress, with sustainable development as an underlying commitment, will be driven by more consciously aligning investment choices with values such as concern for the environment.

Visit Greenbiz.com for more on this story and to read the full report.

EcoLogo has a category certifying renewable electricity investment. To receive EcoLogo certification, renewable electricity investment funds must be unincorporated, open-ended trusts that invest exclusively in renewable electricity generation facilities and have a portfolio where, on an annual average basis, 60 percent of renewable energy generation facilities and 50 percent of the total name plate capacity are certified under the Ecologo criteria for “Renewable Low-impact Electricity.” Click here to review the full criteria.

TerraChoice Environmental Marketing recently released its EcoMarkets 2008 Summary Report to the public and the results have to be shared. Here is a sneak-peek at some of the findings:

· Over $78 billion of purchasing power is represented in this study and the majority of survey respondents control at least half of their organization’s total procurement budget.

· Sixty-eight percent (68%) of North American organizations increased their green purchasing in the past 12 months and 91% of purchasers believe they will become more active green purchasers over the next two years.

· An overwhelming majority of survey respondents (72%) believe eco-labels contribute to better purchasing decisions.

· Purchasers identified the eco-labels they rely on most frequently to help make purchasing decisions. Results show that Energy Star (60%) and EcoLogo (27%) are the most frequently-used eco-labels.

The purpose of the EcoMarkets 2008 Summary Report is to inform our clients, partners and public audiences about the attitudes and practices of North American buyers towards environmentally preferable purchasing. The report is a public summary of research conducted in 2007 and 2008 in partnership with the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation and with the Responsible Purchasing Network – a project of the Center for a New American Dream.

To get a free copy of the EcoMarkets 2008 Summary Report, email Melissa Peneycad at ecomarkets@terrachoice.com.

From cancer-causing chemicals in hair dyes to hormone disruptors in some types of plastic water bottles, we’ve all heard about the toxic chemicals found in some of our everyday healthcare products.

Recent issues of both Women’s Health and Men’s Health covered the health impacts of environmental issues.  In a special Green Guide section found in the August 2008 issue of Men’s Health, TerraChoice was asked to give readers advice on navigating around often misleading green language on packaging such as “all natural”, “CFC-free”, “organic” and “made from recycled materials.” The May 2008 issue of Women’s Health covered TerraChoice’s 2007 study on the Six Sins of Greenwashing in which most of the consumer products surveyed were found to be making false or misleading claims about their “earth-wise” benefits.

When in doubt, look for evidence that a product meets credible environmental standards across the entire lifecycle of the product, from manufacture to disposal, such as EcoLogo and Green Seal.