Can you trust green claims from companies? NOV 16, 2010

Many consumers want to buy “green”. But buying green is not always easy. The amount of false green claims by companies (greenwashing) is truly alarming.

Nearly everyone lies

A new study by North American TerraChoice concludes that more than 95% of “green” products are guilty of greenwashing.

What is really scary is that the false promises are particularly bad when it comes to toys and baby products – ALL of the toys and more than 99% of the baby products analyzed were guilty of misleading consumers.

‘Green’, ‘organic’, and ‘natural’ sometimes mean toxic

In another study of 25 scented products, all emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous. More than a third of the product samples gave off chemicals suspected of causing cancer.

Products claimed to be “green,” “organic” or “natural” emitted just as many toxic chemicals as other fragranced products.

Overall, the products tested emitted more than 420 chemicals. Virtually none were disclosed to consumers.

It is important to say that the studies mentioned examine a selection of American and Canadian products and the conclusions cannot, of course, be applied to all products claiming to be green.

Links

• Most products claiming to be green are living in sin
• Misleading Claims on Green Labeling
• Green, Organic and Natural Products Emit as Many Toxic Chemicals as other Fragranced Items
• Study: ‘Green’ products emit hazardous chemicals