Are Products Really as Green as They Claim? 95% of Them Apparently are Not

via sinsofgreenwashing.org

A survey from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that was just released claims that 95% of those products that label themselves as green are misleading us.  Many are making claims without the proof to back them up. 

What is greenwashing?  If you combine whitewashing and green, it implies deception in the use of stating  a product is “green” when it may actually not be. This is a big topic that my students and I discuss in my marketing and ethics courses.

To see the study, Greenwashing Report 2010, click here.

In the report, they state the following:

• Since 2009 the number of green products has gone up by 73%
• They list 7 sins of greenwashing including:  showing no proof and being vague
• Big box stores are the best providers of greener products
• They examined over 5200 products
• Greenwashing, although a problem, is actually declining