| Has "Green" Lost its Meaning? |
| In it's Sept. 22nd, 2008 issue, Time Magazine featured an article by Bryan Walsh entitled, "Eco-Buyer Beware. Those 'green' products often aren't." The article warns the reader of rampent exagerations, ambiguities, and out-right lies that companies are using these days to convince consumers that their products are "green." One staggering example cites a study by TerraChoice in which all but one of 1,018 products surveyed "failed to fully live up to their green boasts." This is known as "greenwashing" and is not a new phenomenon, websites like treehugger.com and spinwatch.com have been publishing "top-ten worst offender" lists for years. What is new however, is the prevalence of greenwashing in our everyday media. Companies like GE, Shell, Exxon-Mobil, Ford Motor Company, TruGreen ChemLawn, and many others have produced ads in recent years claiming everything from gas-free autos to power plants that emit flowers instead of smoke (yes, you read that right). And the number of these types of ads is increasing everyday. In fact, it's gotten to the point where, according to the Walsh article, "the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been holding hearings over the past year to define the difference between genuine environmental claims and empty greenwash." If you want to do your own investigations there are websites out there that claim to spotlight greenwashing companies, but their claims are questionable as well. Walsh's article directs the reader to www.greenwashingindex.com for a list of the most egregious greenwashers. The site ranks user-submitted ads and provides a description of the ranking system. The only problem is that anyone can rank the ads, so it's impossible to determine the validity of these rankings. My best advice to you is to learn the common techniques of greenwashers (terrachoice.com provides the "six sins of greenwashing") and make your own judgments about the ads you've seen, and the ads you are sure to see in the future. |
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