How to Buy Green
Monday, January 23rd, 2012It is totally confusing to try to figure out which products are genuinely green and responsible or not. Greenwashing is a term used where companies make statements about their products that they are environmentally friendly when they really aren’t at all.
A study of claims on labels found that 98% of 1,000 items reviewed had in fact greenwashed the information on their labels. Questionable claims involved everything from their Energy Star rating to fake official looking logos to make consumers think they have gone through a legitimate green certification process.
The word “natural” is a term that is so misleading because it doesn’t mean anything at all. Everything is natural if you think about it. Chemicals came from nature and they are natural too.
So along comes www.ethiquette.ca, a Montreal company to the rescue. They spend their days checking out the environmental and socially responsible background of companies. Companies are monitored so changes in how they operate could cost them their certification in the future if they lower their standards.
They look at whether the products are truly made with organic ingredients, if they are made locally or nationally. Is it a non-profit or co-op? Are the working conditions above average for the employees? Some of the areas they have covered are: green barbecues, eco gardening, green drinks, body care and cosmetics, back to school, baby bottle safety, eco renovations, green electronics, green and ethical stores.
So to help you buy green, check out the companies that are vetted on their site. Please note though, that companies pay an evaluation fee to appear on their site, so other companies might be okay but haven’t ponied up the cash.