As more and more companies are offering green products to consumers, companies are seeing the importance of transparency and avoiding the pitfalls of making false or misleading green claims. 

A few weeks ago, TerraChoice held a Greenwashing Seminar for its clients to help them avoid committing one of the Seven Sins of Greenwashing and lawsuits for making false or misleading environmental marketing claims.

During the seminar, TerraChoice staff spoke about recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Competition Bureau:  

In March 2009, the Canada Competition Bureau called on textile manufacturers to accurately label “bamboo” products, as many of the products on the market are actually man-made fiber derived from bamboo using a chemical process.  In the United States, the FTC charged Kmart Corp, Tender Corp and Dyna-E International with making false and unsubstantiated claims that paper (disposable plates, moist wipes, and compressed dry towels) was “biodegradable”.

Solutions offered by the TerraChoice team include a greenwashing screen, which sets a company’s current marketing collateral against the Sins of Greenwashing, FTC and Competition Bureau Guidelines and offers recommendations to help clients achieve greenwashing-free messaging; claims verification; and language assessment against Federal Trade Commission and the Competition Bureau’s marketing guidelines, offered through TerraVeritas.

Companies can make truthful, transparent, and relevant claims by avoiding the Seven Sins of Greenwashing.  By not making broad, unverifiable claims like “Mother Earth Approved”, which is meaningless, a product can avoid committing the Sin of Vagueness. Products that have been awarded a legitimate environmental certification such as EcoLogo or Green Seal (or provide proof through other documentation or testing) will prove that they meet the standards of a reliable third-party.

To find out more information about TerraChoice’s Greenwashing Seminar or how TerraChoice can help your company avoid greenwashing and enforcement actions, email Lise Beutel at lbeutel@terrachoice.com.

Visit www.sinsofgreenwashing.org for more on greenwashing.

Posted by WadeMetcalfe in Environmental standards, Green business