Green Claims Exaggerated, Study Finds

Greenwashing -- making false or misleading green marketing claims -- is pervasive, according to a consumer study that found 99 per cent of more than a thousand products from big box stores committed at least one of the "Six Sins of Greenwashing."

Terrachoice, which certifies products bearing the EcoLogo, studied 1,018 consumer products making 1,753 environmental claims, including toothpaste, shampoo, appliances, body lotion, pesticides, ink cartridges, light bulbs, paint, envelopes, flooring, and insulation.

All but one product committed at least one of the six sins: hidden trade-offs, no proof, vagueness, irrelevance, fibbing and the lesser of two evils.

Cascade paper towels was the one product whose claims of being chlorine-free, having recycled content and bearing legitimate logos were accurate.

The biggest sin committed -- 57 per cent of all environmental claims -- was the hidden trade-off such as "energy-efficient" electronics that contain hazardous materials, and paper products that promote their recycled content while ignoring their polluting manufacturing processes.

Next, 26 per cent of claims committed the sin of no proof: for example, shampoos that claim to be organic but have no verifiable certification.

The sin of vagueness fell on 11 per cent: for example, products claiming to be 100 per cent natural, when naturally occurring substances like arsenic and formaldehyde are hazardous.

"Chemical-free" is another vague claim since nothing is free of chemicals.

Irrelevance was committed by four per cent: for example, products claiming to be free of chlorofluorocarbons when they were banned nearly 30 years ago.

Only one per cent were fibbers -- falsely claiming to be certified by an environmental group when they were not -- or committed the sin of the lesser of two evils, for example, organic cigarettes.

Terrachoice recommends that consumers look for labels such as EcoLogo or Green Seal, and ask questions about a product's claims.

[Source Canada.com in November 2007 WasteWatch]

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