How to Tell Green
Ever wonder how green that "non-toxic," "all natural" dish soap really is? The truth is that most of the time, we’re buying on faith, trusting that the extra few dollars we put in for an "eco-friendly" product will not be for naught.
But buyers beware! The environmental marketing firm TerraChoice reported on a study last year in which all but one of the 1,018 products surveyed failed to live up to their green promises. The problem is that very few of these claims are standardized; buzz words like "non-toxic," "all natural," and "earth friendly" are just too vague. Even so, TerraChoice’s study revealed that specific claims like "Energy Star certified," and "certified organic" were in fact not backed up by certification at all.
So how can you tell whether your cash is going for green or just gone? Check out the new Greenwashing Index, a consumer-based rating index of products according to their level of greenwashing. Also, stay attuned to these greenwashing techniques:
- Show Me the Proof. If a product is making a claim about its eco-friendliness, the marketers should be able to prove it to you.
- And That Means What Exactly? If a claim is too vague for you to understand what it means, it probably means nothing.
- Pick Your Poison. Green SUVs? That’s great! But what about the fact that you shouldn’t be driving SUVs anyway? A hybrid SUV gets the same gas mileage as a regular gas-guzzling sedan. Even though one aspect of the product is environmentally friendly, be mindful of other negative impacts it may have.