Genuinely Greenwashed
Six Ploys to Avoid in Eco-Purchases
A report by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing exposes these six “greenwashing” marketing ploys to watch out for when shopping:
- Hidden Trade Off: A refurbished plasma TV might reduce the need of buying new at first, but new or not, such TVs are energy hogs.
- No Proof: Can a third party verify claims such as “organic” or “all-natural”?
- Vagueness: Beware of products claiming to be “chemical-free” or “no hormones added”.
- Irrelevance: Claims that have no relationship to the product or might be made with any other product in the same category, such as [chlorofluorocarbon] CFC-free shaving gel.
- Fibbing: A falsehood that can’t be backed up, such as “certified organic” for products for which no such certification exists.
- Lesser of Two Evils: An attempt to put a green twist on a product that’s inherently harmful to humans and the environment, such as organic cigarettes.
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