Since the launch of the Seven Sins of Greenwashing report, TerraChoice has received many questions about what consumers can do to avoid being greenwashed.
Even though governments in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia discourage greenwashing, these efforts are clearly not enough.
If the good intentions of consumers and the environmental benefits of their choices are to be leveraged, consumers themselves must play a role.
Here are four ways consumers can make a real impact on greenwashing:
1. Keep supporting greener products. As consumers, we have enormous power to shape the marketplace. The worst result of greenwashing would be to give up.
2. Look for, and choose, products with reliable eco-labels such as SFI, Green Seal and EcoLogo.
3. In the absence of a reliable eco-label, remember the Seven Sins of Greenwashing and choose the product that offers transparency, information and education.
4. For more information and green shopping tools, visit www.sinsofgreenwashing.org and www.ecologo.org.
Consumers who believe they have been greenwashed by a company engaging in misleading environmental marketing practices can also send a letter to a company to ask them to stop GREENWASHING. Use the draft letter under “Take Action” on the Sins website.
And if all of the above information isn’t enough, a list of organizations that are helping consumers to learn more about greenwashing and eco-labeling, as well as where they make truly greener purchases can all be found at www.sinsofgreenwashing.org.
Posted by KateRusnak in Environmental standards, Green cleaning, Green home, Green office, Green products, Health, Marketing, Procurement