Last week, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing launched its 2009 Seven Sins of Greenwashing report, revealing that more products on store shelves are claiming to be green. However, don’t let those shampoo bottles and baby wipes fool you. Many of those ‘all-natural’ and ‘organic’ products are likely committing at least one of the Seven Sins (see below).
Since its launch, the Seven Sins have been covered by The Sacramento Bee, CTV National, CBC Newsworld, The Toronto Star, Treehugger.com, CBC Radio, The Greenwash Brigade, TheDailyGreen.com and many more. As Earth Day approaches, the topic of ‘greenwashing’ and consumers’ search for ‘greener products’ will be a hot topic – and it should be. The full report and handy consumer tips can be found at: www.sinsofgreenwashing.org.
So what exactly is greenwashing? It is defined as the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.
Between 2007 and 2009, the in-store availability of so-called ‘green’ products has increased between 40% and 176%, with 98% of products surveyed still committing at least one Sin of Greenwashing, according to the report on the Seven Sins of Greenwashing released on Wednesday, April 15, 2009.
Greenwashing is changing in creative ways. As a result, a new sin has been identified and added to the original 2007 Six Sins of Greenwashing. The ‘Sin of Worshiping False Labels’ means that some marketers are mimicking third-party environmental certifications on their products to entice consumers to buy.
The Seven Sins of Greenwashing, from most common to least common, are:
1. The Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off occurs when one environmental issue is emphasized at the expense of potentially more serious concerns. In other words, when marketing hides a trade-off between environmental issues. Paper, for example, is not necessarily environmentally-preferable just because it comes from a sustainably-harvested forest.
2. The Sin of No Proof happens when environmental assertions are not backed up by evidence or third-party certification. One common example is facial tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing any supporting details.
3. The Sin of Vagueness occurs when a marketing claim is so lacking in specifics as to be meaningless. ‘All-natural’ is an example of this Sin. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring, and poisonous. ‘All natural’ isn’t necessarily ‘green’.
4. The (new) Sin of Worshiping False Labels is when marketers create a false suggestion or certification-like image to mislead consumers into thinking that a product has been through a legitimate green certification process. One example of this Sin is a paper towel product whose packaging has a certification-like image that makes the bold claim that the product ‘fights global warming.’
5. The Sin of Irrelevance arises when an environmental issue unrelated to the product is emphasized. One example is the claim that a product is ‘CFC-free’, since CFCs are banned by law.
6. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils occurs when an environmental claim makes consumers feel ‘green’ about a product category that is itself lacking in environmental benefits. Organic cigarettes are an example of this Sin.
7. The Sin of Fibbing is when environmental claims are outright false. One common example is products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified.
In an upcoming blog, look for tips specifically for consumers and how they can avoid being greenwashed and find genuinely greener products. Visit www.sinsofgreenwashing.org for information on and updates around the study.
Posted by KateRusnak in Environmental standards, Green business, Green cleaning, Green home, Green office, Green products, Health, Marketing, Procurement