Greenwashing Affects 98 Per Cent Of Cleaning Products
Study Finds New Greenwashing Sin – ‘Worshipping False Labels’

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, but the labels might be. There are more products claiming to be green these days, however, those ‘all-natural’ and ‘organic’ products are likely committing at least one of the Seven Sins of Greenwashing, by not telling the complete truth. Between 2007 and 2009, the in-store availability of so-called ‘green’ products has increased between 40 and 176 per cent, with 98 per cent of products surveyed still committing at least one Sin of Greenwashing, according to a report on the Seven Sins of Greenwashing recently released by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.

Greenwashing is defined as the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. For example, claims of ‘biodegradability’ were found on 124 (42.5 per cent) general cleaning products studied. If a verification source was not provided, these types of claims were deemed vague and misleading. Other claims such as ‘natural’ and ‘non-toxic’ appeared on 97 (33 per cent of) and 61 (21 per cent of) cleaning products, respectively. In absence of specific explanations, these terms could also mislead purchasers.

Greenwashing is also 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 Worshipping False Labels’ means that some marketers are mimicking third-party environmental certifications on their products to entice consumers to buy. The full report and handy consumer tips can be found at www.sinsofgreenwashing.org.

“The good news is that the growing availability of green products shows that purchasers are demanding more environmentally responsible choices, and that marketers and manufacturers are listening,” said Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice. “The bad news is that TerraChoice’s survey of 335 cleaning products in the United States and Canada shows that 98 per cent committed at least one Sin of Greenwashing and that some marketers are exploiting the demand for third-party certification by creating fake labels or false suggestions of third-party endorsement. Despite the number of legitimate eco-labels out there, buyers will still have to remain vigilant in their green purchasing decisions.”

The 2009 Seven Sins of Greenwashing Report focused on cleaning products, children’s toys, baby products and cosmetics, because these product categories are the most susceptible to Greenwashing. Cleaning products are also of particular concern to schools, hospitals, offices and other commercial buildings as they have made connections between indoor air quality, chronic illnesses (such as asthma) and cleaning products. As a result, the number of cleaning products claiming to be green has risen.

“Other important news is that eco-labelling is on the rise,” added Case. “Legitimate eco-labelling is nearly twice as common as it was in our 2007 survey, increasing from 13.7 to 23.4 per cent on all ‘Green’ products. The 2009 Seven Sins of Greenwashing report demonstrates that purchasers do have greener choices in products but that they need to recognize the legitimate labels and ask questions of unfamiliar ones.”

To download a copy of the 2009 Seven Sins of Greenwashing Report, or to view some handy tools, visit www.sinsofgreenwashing.org .