Guardian:
More than 98% of supposedly natural and environmentally friendly products on US supermarket shelves are making potentially false or misleading claims, Congress has been told. And 22% of products making green claims bear an environmental badge that has no inherent meaning, said Scot Case, of the environmental consulting firm TerraChoice.
The Greenwash Brigade | Marketplace from American Public Media
Report: 'Greenwashing' Runs Rampant · Environmental Leader · Green ...
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If the truth were being reported we'd be having riots in the streets. And meanwhile the top execs in banks and brokeragesa that caused such a mess are STILL employed and making millions while laying off THOUSANDS of people that actually do work. If you know anyone in banking that's still employed, odds are they are doing the work of three people so the top execs can show 'savings' and contineu collecting mega-incomes.
good articles: http://www.bit.ly/12t.ly/12NCJR>recommended reading
Why does this not surprise me?
I've been leary of these claims ever since the bio-degradable trash bag scandal of the early '90s!
What's happening is that, ever since Bill Clinton, it's become not only acceptable, but expected that one lie in order to promote one's agenda. Dishonesty has become de rigueur!
Keep babbling. You think Reagan and George HW never lied to promote THEIR agenda? You need to look at the facts.
Geez you really are delusional aren't you?
The GOP has been and will probably remain the most dishonest, fear mongering, death dealing and crooked party this country has ever seen.
WHY do you think they have been so heavily voted out of the system and at the rate they are going, especially with supporters like babbling, hopefully soon, the Thug party will be nothing more than a bad memory resting in the dustbins of history.
One suspects that the number of environmentalists who make false claims is also quite high.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/19/20090619junelovely0619.html
There goes the neighborhood! When will the Church of Global Warming close its doors?
No dingy, lying ticks off environmentalists. Environmentalists don't claim to make green products when they don't. Liars (repubs) do.
It is man-made global climate change. And a large majority of scientists believe it is real...including 1/2 of those paid by the oil companies. I worked for one of the largest energy companies in the US and they knew it is real.
But, even if you don't believe we have much impact, using finite resources without conserving them is the equivalent of spending your entire retirement savings on a spending spree. It is the equivalent of wasting a company's resources and waiting for a bailout. It is irresponsible.
Strange , I live in a poor income neighborhood and I seldom see any green products , and if I did- they'd be expensive as hell , only the rich can afford these green porducts .
The greenest household cleaners are cheap and probably already in you cupboard, vinegar, baking soda, salt etc.
When a company targets the 'green segment of the population (young/female/liberal etc)
it's not about the company's ideologies or principles,- they are all over the map. It's just about targeting a niche in the market that is willing to pay a greater mark-up for an ideology.
If you flat out lie about something harmful, there are sensible regulations for that.
But there is no law against branding something as having a fashionable ideology behind it to appeal to those who put $ value on this. It's about added $ value - just like putting a 'free' toy in a box of cereal.
Most producers of 'green' products also produce more productive, cost effective, longer shelf 'conventional' versions to appeal to the more practical shopper.
buy local handmade soaps or make your own (search on soap and cosmetic recipes) , buy locally grown veggies (search on farmers market)
run a search on handmade whatever it is, and you will easily find natural products, made by a human here in the u.s.
Disgusting..
No surprise here. It was only a matter of time before an article like this was written.
Cleaning products are the worst offenders! Do you really think Ajax is producing completely eco-friendly products? www.greencleanhamptons.com for some facts
This once again shows that laissez faire economic policies lead to bad results. There needs to be strict government regulation to prevent deceptive practices.
The same can be said about environmentalists, Al Gore et al.
The corporations, which are too often run by sociopaths who do not care how much damage they do as long as the bottom line looks good, is the problem. Strict government regulation is the solution.
Al Gore is right on.
More government is never the right solution. All they will do is collect more taxes which they will waste on bureaucratic BS.
No surprise here. I stick to a couple of brands I t rust and the rest I make myself. This industry needs to be regulated. Recently, I called Arm and Hammer about their so-called "enviornmentally friendly" dryer sheets. (I see no use for them if you ask me but I was trying to satisfy a spouse) The box claimed it was made with ëssential oils" I told the customer service gal that I was allergic to certain oils and could she please list the blend of oils which produced their "mountain fresh" smell. (Which was complete bs but I wanted to hear what they would say.) Anyhoo she refused to give me a full list of their ingrediants in their so-called natural item. I returned that box and its overpwering fake chemical smell the next day.
What a shocker! That's like saying 98% of movies are not true stories.
It's about selling an image, principle, ideology. It doesn't have to make sense. You are paying extra for the sense of superiority and righteousness. You are also paying more for the absence of harmless chemicals that improve productivity, prolong shelf life and make food more affordable. (Ironically this was the original green revolution)
This is a target market that has the luxury of spending more for the principle, but is not known for scientific acumen, so why would you not take advantage of this?
Because the government, if it is doing its job, will prosecute you if you lie to the consumers about the product's properties. We have had a regulatory meltdown under Bush which needs to be corrected.
'potentially false or misleading claims' .....'that has no inherent meaning'
It's not lying about ingredients - it's taking advantage of a target market that has the great quality of being gullable and loose with their money . You slap on a green label saying 'Natural' 'Green' 'mother earth will thank you for buying this' etc and people will pay twice as much for the feel good factor.-
If it were against to law to make money on merely 'misleading environmental claims' Al Gore would be doing hard time!
I spend a ridiculous amount of time attempting to "buy green". From cosmetics to appliances to garbage bags. Now I feel, once again, like a helpless consumer.
Government (in the form of strict prohibition of deceptive and false advertising) is the solution, not the problem.
More Than 98% Of 'Environmentally-Friendly' Products Make False, Confusing Claims? ?
Geez, is this THE LATEST Republican SCAM?
They're experts at LYING.
Yes, because all green businesses are owned and operated by Republicans.
Like GIM.
Owned & run by Al Gore. Hardly a Republican.
Really not true. I am a dem and own a start-up green company. The real problem is that there are no green guidelines. What makes a product green? Is it because it is all natural? Is it because it reduces environmental impact? Reduces energy usage? Water usage? Insecticide usage? And then there is a matter of degree.
"Green" has a lot of meanings to different people. Currently, the definition is very broad...just like low-fat and reduced fat and fat-free used to be. Until consumers and government determine exactly what "green" is, then companies really don't know how to properly, consistently label green products.
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First Posted: 06-21-09 08:38 PM | Updated: 07-22-09 05:12 AM