Check those labels

Some companies resort to ‘greenwashing’ to polish corporate image

Many people want to purchase products that don’t harm the environment, but interpreting labels can be tricky. In fact, companies have come up with so many eco-friendly — but possibly overblown — claims for their products that there is a term for the phenomenon: “greenwashing.”

“Greenwashing is the practice of marketing a company or brand as being environmentally friendly while the major efforts of the company are not,” said Dr. Gary Bamossy, a professor of marketing at Georgetown University.

Perhaps the best-known case of greenwashing involved Hefty trash bags, which were marketed as “biodegradable.” Critics pointed out that the bags would only biodegrade if they were left out in the sun, and most trash in the United States ends up buried in landfills. After legal action by state and federal authorities, the biodegradable claim was removed.

TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. conducted a survey of consumer products available at big-box retailers and found more than 1,000 items that made some sort of environmental claim. Most claims were either false or misleading, the company said in a 2007 report called “The Six Sins of Greenwashing.” TerraChoice found greenwashing tactics fall into several categories. The most common were:

• Hidden trade-offs. The most prevalent kind of greenwashing focuses on an environmentally friendly aspect of a product without looking at other environmental issues involved in the production of the item. For example, a fax machine might tout its energy efficiency but not mention that it is made from materials that can be hazardous to the environment.

• No proof for claims. The label says it’s energy efficient but provides no certification or other information to prove the claim.

• Vagueness. The label makes a broad or undefined claim. “All-natural” doesn’t mean much, for example, as substances such as arsenic and mercury are “all-natural” and dangerous. “Green” and “eco-friendly” sound good, but what exactly do they mean in reference to this product?

• Irrelevance. The claim might be true, but it is unhelpful to a consumer trying to find a truly green product. A common example of an irrelevant claim is that a product is “CFC-free.” The ozone-depleting substance has been banned for decades, so it’s not something shoppers need to make an effort to avoid.

Stronger labeling regulations may be on the horizon. The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing guidelines for environmental marketing claims.

In the meantime, it’s up to consumers to find and support manufacturers and retailers that are making the effort to be environmentally conscious, said Nina Guralnick, president of Live Earth. The organization is best-known for the 2007 worldwide concert designed to bring attention to global warming, but it also works to educate people about simple changes they can make to help the climate problem.

She suggested online research, checking to see what companies list as their statement on sustainability. If you can’t find one, ask the company what its position is.