Beware the great 'greenwashing' con, experts warn

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 12/5/09 | Erica Berenstein

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Eco-conscious customers who flock to one Washington store say they have chosen the environmentally friendly living shop because they know they are in little danger of being "greenwashed."

"I can give you a ton of words that mean absolutely, positively nothing," said Daniel Velez, owner of Greater Goods, where the shelves are stocked only after careful, painstaking research.

"The word natural. The word earth-friendly. It means nothing since it's not legally defined. Biodegradable, except in California, doesn't actually carry any weight of law."

Around the world, there are few legal requirements companies must adhere to when marketing products as green or sustainable. As increasingly eco-conscious consumers are faced with more and more choices, experts warn that marketing strategies dubbed "greenwashing" could be leading them astray.

"Today it suffices to just slap some green paint on a product to call it green," Bernard Caron, director of marketing for the Belgian company Ecover, told AFP.

Ecover, a long-time international leader in ecologically safe cleaning products, has rejected the European Commission's "Ecolabel" as the standards set by the voluntary environmental certification were not high enough.

Offering green options can be a lucrative endeavor. According to a 2008 study by GfK Roper Consulting and Yale University, half of respondents reported they would definitely or probably pay 15 percent more for eco-friendly laundry detergent or cars.

[NormsRevenge]

It is a PT Barnum world after all..

[NormsRevenge]

A pile of computer waste displayed by Greenpeace at a trade fair in Germany. Worldwide, there are few legal requirements companies must live up to when marketing environmentally friendly products. As increasingly eco-conscious consumers are faced with more and more choices, experts warn that green marketing could be leading them astray. (AFP/File/John Macdougall)

[Magic Fingers]

I’m so tired of every company trying to tie this “green” crap to their product that if I can buy a competing product that doesn’t tout itself as “green”, I do.

[Marty62]

It is like black market schemes.
Create a false crisis and start selling your phony products at inflated prices.
Yes go to that double the price store because it has a LABEL that says it’s “green”.
IDIOTS

[Islam=Murder]

We can’t let the MSM win this.

Best ClimateGate clips (show everybody you know):

http://www.BraveNewCommie.com

[Balding_Eagle]

Me too.

[maryz]

if I can buy a competing product that doesn’t tout itself as “green”, I do.

LOL! Me too! In fact, that's how I chose the candidates to vote for for City Council -- I voted for ones whose campaign literature never used the word "green"! ;-)

[Califreak]

LOL!

If they can make money on the gullible believers in this hype, why not?

>LOL! Me too! In fact, that’s how I chose the candidates to vote for for City Council — I voted for ones whose campaign literature never used the word “green”! ;-)<

I also watch out for “progressive”, “diversity” and “urban renewal”.