>We live in a world of spin. In the past decade, a wave of environmental marketing claims have flooded the market, but how “green” are these products compared to what they tell you? TerraChoice, an environmental marketing company has released a report stating that more than 95% consumer products are guilty of lacking proof to support their claims.
The Wall Street Journal reports that after examining over 5,000 products across the U.S. and Canada, over 12,000 had claims that were either not supported, and showed incoherent and sometimes fake labels implying “third-party certificate or endorsements.” In some cases, products would incorrectly claim to be in accordance with the Energy Star program, a federal program under the EPA and Department of Energy.
While “greenwashing” has generally gone down slightly, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has proposed to tighten up against misleading eco-friendly claims. Familiar slogans like “environmentally friendly” have gotten so familiar, Americans have a difficult time discerning snake oil from a true green product. As late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “You are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”