All natural, green, eco-friendly, and made sustainably are all buzz words you may have read on packaging or in advertising. The list of green buzz words goes on. How do you know if the product or service is truly green? These companies may be greenwashing, or falsely promoting or exaggerating the greenness of a product or service. You, the consumer, need to know how to spot greenwashing in a time when it is good to be green and green is the color of money driving the greenwashing.
- Watch out for vague claims. I am aware of a local builder claiming to build “green homes”, when in actuality there are only a couple of green features in the entire home.
- Read through the buzz words on labeling. When I grocery shop I look for hormone-free, antibiotic free, grass-fed, and organic, not 100% natural, pure, real, healthy, etc. The last group of words are subject to interpretation and are more opinion based than fact. What natural, pure, or healthy means to you may be different than those in the corporate marketing department.
- Look for trusted certifications like Green Seal, FSC, LEED, EnergyStar, USDA Organic
- Seek facts that are verifiable. A product may claim to be energy efficient, but in comparison to what? Look for something precise and measurable for comparison.
- Use Google. Enter the product or company plus the word environment to see what comes up.
Be an active consumer and know you will have to do some critical thinking to evaluate claims of advertising. Don’t believe everything you hear and know some companies will exaggerate green features and environmental benefits to make consumers feel good.
See the article, Why is Greenwashing A Problem? for more information and also my attachment on avoiding greenwashing for homes.
Comment about greenwashing on my blog http://greenqueen.featuredblog.com. Also, email me if you are interested in working on a project to stop greenwashing in AZ.
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Melisa Camp, M.Ed.
Realtor ®, GREEN
Arizona’s LEED for Homes Advocate
Young Professionals Network Chair, Phoenix Assoc. of Realtors
www.greenphoenixproperty.com
www.greenqueen.featuredblog.com
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