Now that more of us are trying to make environmentally friendly purchasing decisions, many companies have picked up on this marketing opportunity to make their products seem more “green”; this is called “Greenwash”.
One common way of Greenwashing is to use vague statements like “eco-friendly”, “sustainable”, “natural”, “made from a sustainable resource”, “recycled” etc. which, when unsubstantiated by further proof, are meaningless. One laundry product on our supermarket shelves advertises on the label that the product is “biodegradable” but when you check the fine print you find they are only referring to the cardboard packaging and not the product ingredients themselves.
Another common way of Greenwashing is to put forward misleading information. For example, many products now have the word “recyclable” in a triangle of green arrows which, at a quick glance, may confuse consumers into believing the product is from a “recycled” source or to imply the product is recyclable when only parts of it may be.
Biodegradable or degradable?
A commonly seen form of this type of greenwash is plastic bags with the word “Degradable” on them. Being degradable simply means the bag will deteriorate into small pieces of plastic – which can be very detrimental to our environment because it can be easier for the plastic to blow around and enter our waterways or be eaten by animals. This is not the same as “BIOdegradable” which means the product is made from plant materials (usually corn or rice starch) and will quickly breakdown as compost in landfill or your garden.
A popular area for Greenwashing these days is in claims of products being “carbon neutral”. While there remains no universally recognised definition of being “carbon neutral”, it is a difficult claim to verify. Generally being “carbon neutral” means the net greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product are zero. How this is calculated is another matter and one that can vary significantly. Does it include the manufacturing, transport and distribution, promotions, packaging and end of life waste estimates? If the product does not tell you, investigate further before you believe their claims!
What about carbon-offsets?
Claims of carbon neutrality go hand in hand with “carbon offsets”, which are ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions already in the atmosphere to compensate for the emissions associated with a specific action or product. For example, many companies these days offer to “offset” emissions from your car or flights by planting trees – which if they live long enough are expected to suck enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to compensate for the amount that was spewed out by your car or the plane you flew on. There are also more immediate forms of carbon offsetting programs that invest in renewable energy technology, energy efficiency programs or methane (a much more harmful greenhouse gas) flaring from landfill.
To find a good offsetting program visit the ACCC’s website (www.accc.gov.au) for some further advice on how to cut through the Greenwash claims and pick accredited programs. You can also check out the Carbon Offset Guide Australia (www.carbonoffsetguide.com.au/) produced by the Victorian Environmental Protection Agency and RMIT University’s Global Sustainability Institute.
A conscious shopping
With the amount of Greenwash marketing popping up on all sorts of products it is very challenging for us consumer to decide on what to believe. While it would be impossible for all of us to independently verify the claims of all products, there are a few ways you can cut through the Greenwash.
First of all try and find a retailer that you can trust and that makes the effort to learn about the products they sell – they will be able to help you verify the green claims on a product.
Second, take the time to investigate a few products you already have in your house to determine what environmental issues are associated with them and if that brand is good enough to buy again. If not, look for a new option. Work with friends and family to investigate a range of products before you shop. Quickly you will have built up enough knowledge to make choosing easy!
Thirdly, look for products that have had their environmental claims independently verified by a reputable source and carry an accreditation or industry standard. Examples of good accreditation are the “Good Environmental Choice Australia” (red tick) logo (www.geca.com.au), and the “Not Tested on Animals” bunny logo (www.choosecrueltyfree.org.au).
To help with your supermarket shopping you may like to download or purchase a copy of the “Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping” (www.ethical.org.au), you can take this shopping with you to help you make quick decisions while comparing products.
Hopefully the more we can all avoid Greenwashing on unworthy products, the more we can support products with strong environmental credentials that make our lives and our environment happier and healthier for the future.
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Watch out for Greenwash
