98% of "Eco-Friendly" Products Are "Greenwashing" - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Nehkara · 04-19-2009, 02:47 PM

Only 25 of 2000+ "Eco-Friendly" Products Stand Up To Scrutiny

Quote:

Of the more than 2,000 self-described environmentally friendly products in North America examined by the environmental marketing firm TerraChoice, only 25 were found to be indisputably "sin free." The rest were greenwashing, a term environmentalists coined to refer to misleading environmental ads or claims.

Interesting read. Don't believe every(any?)thing you read on product labels in terms of marketing or slogans.

HotHotHeat · 04-19-2009, 02:49 PM

But...It's in a green package

MelBridgeman · 04-19-2009, 02:56 PM

Not shocking at all..

rubecube · 04-19-2009, 04:29 PM

Organic Maple Syrup says "Hi."

Devils'Advocate · 04-19-2009, 05:56 PM

I don't know how useful this information is. The right wingers will laugh at those trying to be eco-friendly and call them gullible suckers. The people trying to do their best to be eco-friendly will lose faith and figure it's too hard to do the right thing and stop trying to do anything at all.

I think the article and the comments at the end suggest that there really needs to be some kind of government watchdog given that industry has proven that it can't watch itself. They will lie, obfuscate, and mislead consumers in any attempt to make a profit.

Phanuthier · 04-19-2009, 06:02 PM

Question : so is my Nalgene BPA-free waterbottle not BPA-free then?

Shazam · 04-19-2009, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Question : so is my Nalgene BPA-free waterbottle not BPA-free then?

Marketing's a bitch.

Ford Prefect · 04-19-2009, 09:08 PM

So, we can't trust marketing claims? What next? I suppose somebody's gonna say politicians lie and the media spins stuff.

ken0042 · 04-19-2009, 11:15 PM

The thing to keep in mind is the middle ground here. No, many products are 100% green, but there are shades of green.

For example, CFL bulbs are not "green" as they still use coal produced electricity. However they are a lot greener than regular bulbs.

But do keep a watch out. Latest thing I saw was a green router. I don't think I want one that will shut off on its own, and really how much power are you saving by doing that?

Devils'Advocate · 04-20-2009, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

So, we can't trust marketing claims? What next? I suppose somebody's gonna say politicians lie and the media spins stuff.

But in this case, the claim isn't that their product gets your clothes cleaner or that the gums taste lasts longer. It's that they make you believe that a forest will be saved, or waterways not polluted or the air will be cleaner for everyone. And if company A who actually are producing a clean product is put at a disadvantage to company B who is producing a dirty product and just lying to the consumer, I don't think that fair. And fair may not be a part of capitalism, so I think government needs to play a role in verifying company A vs company B's claims.

4X4 · 04-20-2009, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I don't know how useful this information is. The right wingers will laugh at those trying to be eco-friendly and call them gullible suckers. The people trying to do their best to be eco-friendly will lose faith and figure it's too hard to do the right thing and stop trying to do anything at all.

It's always the right wingers, isn't it? As though political preference somehow makes you good or bad. So sick of comments like this. About as ill-informed as the goofs that like to roll out that awesome catchphrase "gas guzzler". "I drive a Honda so I'm a good person". "I voted left therefore I'm eco-friendly". I'd like to see one of you fruitballs achieve one of two things: either cram a truckload of contracting tools into a honda or else come up with a legitimate green political platform. Until you do either, you're full of sh1t.

edit** Geez I was an a-hole this morning. FTR, Devils' Advocate, this post wasn't so much aimed at you but more into the crowd of people that say stuff like that. Sorry if it seems like I'm personally attacking you.

Ford Prefect · 04-20-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

But in this case, the claim isn't that their product gets your clothes cleaner or that the gums taste lasts longer. It's that they make you believe that a forest will be saved, or waterways not polluted or the air will be cleaner for everyone. And if company A who actually are producing a clean product is put at a disadvantage to company B who is producing a dirty product and just lying to the consumer, I don't think that fair. And fair may not be a part of capitalism, so I think government needs to play a role in verifying company A vs company B's claims.

It's still just the same-old, same-old though as far as marketing strategies go. Marketing firms have always stretched and bent the truth to the limit to try and give their clients an advantage over competitors.

The government has never shown much interest in the past in policing dirty marketing tactics, probably because the guys who own marketing companies have typically been in bed with the government. Ad scam may not have been about false marketing methods, but it involved the same companies.

I doubt the government is going to get involved now, unless the Conservatives are a whole lot more upright than the Liberals were, which is dubious. I'm not sure what the current state of marketing and advertising laws are, but when I took a course on this back in the 1980s it was pretty much controlled by industry set standards that relied heavily on voluntary compliance and self-policing. Self-policing is usually akin to putting the fox in charge of the hen house, and means just don't get caught in anything overt. There were laws for some of the most extreme stuff, but by and large stuff could be worded in such a way as to be more implied than stated and nothing could done about it.

A classic example of dubious marketing phrases: "New and scientifically improved." That's a totally meaningless phrase, but it leads consumers to draw all kinds of assumptions on their own, none of which have any basis in reality.

That's the same BS as they're talking about in the article. "Planet-friendly" and "all natural" are phrases the imply something to consumers, but when you get a pack of corporate lawyers dissecting their meaning in a court room things get pretty hazy in a hurry. "BPA-free" however makes a specific claim, and if a company making that claim isn't telling the truth then they might be guilty of false marketing. It would still come down to who has the biggest legal budget. The tobacco companies proved that for many decades.

Coles notes: marketing is a sleazy game with little or no ethics.

Devils'Advocate · 04-20-2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

It's always the right wingers, isn't it? As though political preference somehow makes you good or bad. So sick of comments like this. About as ill-informed as the goofs that like to roll out that awesome catchphrase "gas guzzler". "I drive a Honda so I'm a good person". "I voted left therefore I'm eco-friendly". I'd like to see one of you fruitballs achieve one of two things: either cram a truckload of contracting tools into a honda or else come up with a legitimate green political platform. Until you do either, you're full of sh1t. edit** Geez I was an a-hole this morning. FTR, Devils' Advocate, this post wasn't so much aimed at you but more into the crowd of people that say stuff like that. Sorry if it seems like I'm personally attacking you.

As if the "lefty do-gooder bleeding-heart tree-huggin' feminazi" is supposed to make me feel particularly good.

Tell me that the Rush Limbaugh ditto-heads wouldn't get a huge laugh out of this article.

Devils'Advocate · 04-20-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

I doubt the government is going to get involved now, unless the Conservatives are a whole lot more upright than the Liberals were, which is dubious.

I held out hope that the Conservatives labeling laws would at least make a dent into the false claims that companies were putting on their products. But I was watching Marketplace on the weekend and they talked to Loblaws about a President's Choice product that had the label "MADE IN CANADA" on a product that was made overseas and PACKAGED in Canada. But rather than say where the product actually came from, Loblaws just took the "MADE IN ..." label off the product. So the laws the Conservatives put in place last year "to help Canadians consumer know what they are getting when they buy a product" seems to be resulting in companies giving *NO* information to the consumer. What's worse? Bad information or no information?

FlamesAddiction · 04-20-2009, 05:12 PM

I think most people, even "green" people, suspected that most companies were using "eco-friendly" as a marketing tool more than anything. It is, and always has been up to the consumer to research the products they buy. Being eco-friendly is somthing we do with our behaviour (3-Rs) more than what we buy. Eco-friendly is free.

My favourite marketing tools though are the ones that prey on health nuts - especially when they put somthing like "contains no trans-fat" on items that because of their nature, no one should have suspected there would be trans-fat in it.

I find it funny that the eco-friendly thing comes down to "left vs right" because at the core, being eco-friendly is being conservative. It takes a conservative mindset, but unfortunately, it has become big business as well - and big business isn't always the most honest business going.

Thor · 04-20-2009, 07:24 PM

All you have to do is look at the ads for car makers in the last 2yrs, same cars, same crappy MPG we've always had.

But now all they do is spout at the amazing MPG on their cars and how efficient they are, while we know these are the same crappy cars that lag behind standards in Europe and even China in some cases.

I loathe marketing with a passion, its evil, soulless and thats what I used to do.

I'll go to some form of hell for working in that industry

Swarly · 04-20-2009, 10:12 PM

can you really blame the companies? mention the thought that a product is green and you have a horde of mindless customers shoving their money at you, sometime twice as much as the alternative.

its up to people to do their homework if they want to buy green. or you can just not give a sh*t and buy the regular cheap products like me.

Thor · 04-20-2009, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swarly

can you really blame the companies? mention the thought that a product is green and you have a horde of mindless customers shoving their money at you, sometime twice as much as the alternative.

its up to people to do their homework if they want to buy green. or you can just not give a sh*t and buy the regular cheap products like me.

While thats true, just spend 1 evening watching ads and it shows you just how much they get away with.

Enzyte, the male enchancement product. Brandpower (helping you buy better), Medi-facts (insinuating facts, not that their a ad company), etc..

The amount of half truths, suggestions and outright lies are out of control. The fear is from polititians to change regulations on ADs because they fear consumer confidence will falter and less consumer spending = slowing economy.

We forgive sooooo much for profit, like business can police itself. Well we know better I hope now, greed trumps all things and without regulation and watchdog government with teeth we will continue to see lies and manipulations on TV praying on everyone.

Devils'Advocate · 04-21-2009, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thor

we will continue to see lies and manipulations on TV praying on everyone.

Freudian typo or intentional?

Swarly: How much time and money would it take to investigate solely the claims on my laundry detergent? "Phosphate free, enzyme free, biodegradable, all-natural chemicals (according to the back, the ethoxylated alcohol, glycoside and amidopropyl betaine all come from coconuts), EDTA-free, doesn't contain NTA or dyes and was not tested on animals.

I think I would have to hire a lab of technicians and a few private investigators solely to verify just the claims on my laundry detergent. Telling people to "do their homework" just isn't feasible. Which gets back to one of my original points. It just gets so hard that people just won't bother..... and then "those that just don't care" win.