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What makes a business green?
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Green is quite a buzzword today and we should spend a few minutes thinking about what makes a business green. The intention is for it to instill confidence, to make you feel that the business, product, or practice is good for the environment, safe for the planet, and basically will do no harm. Clearly, there are lots of assumptions packed into that little word and care must be taken to use it well and to carefully examine those who use it.
Many of us feel more comfortable buying something with the now familiar triangle of arrows indicating a recycled product. Many families feel safer since they installed a water filter and more and more people every day are buying organically made goods. But what are you really getting? Lots of businesses are calling themselves green, but what does that really mean?
Currently, there are no federal laws governing what a seller can say about a product. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued "Guides for the use of Environmental Marketing Claims." These guidelines state that "qualifications and disclosures should be sufficiently clear and prominent to prevent deception; claims should make clear whether they apply to the product, the package or a component of either; claims should not overstate an environmental attribute or benefit, expressly or by implication; and comparative claims should be presented in a manner that makes the basis for the comparison sufficiently clear to avoid consumer deception."
But the guidelines carry no force of law and compliance is strictly voluntary. Many states have advertising regulations, but enforcement is largely non-reactive. Nothing is done unless someone complains. What are some of the assumptions you make about environmental advertising claims?
Let's examine some of the common "green" terms that we take for granted.
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RecycledThis word is quite over used and often misunderstood. When you see this or the chasing arrows symbol, do you assume that the product is completely made of recycled materials? The FTC says a product should not be labeled recycled unless it is made of materials that were "diverted from the solid waste stream for use as raw materials in the manufacture or assembly of a new product or package." But this term has been widely misused.
Some products labeled as recycled are made from reconditioned or reused parts or are made from industrial scraps that would normally be reused anyway. Some products that contain only 10 percent waste material and 90 percent virgin material will claim to be recycled.
If you don't see percentages of how much post-consumer waste is used in the product, beware. I have even seen products that only claim to be recyclable, knowing that most consumers won't notice the different ending of the word and will assume that the product is made from recycled materials.
Ozone friendly
The ozone layer is a complex protective layer in our atmosphere, located in the stratosphere. Most of the ozone that protects us from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun resides about 6 to 10 miles above the surface. It can extend up to 30 miles up. Ozone is actually very rare and there are only about three ozone molecules to every 10 million air molecules. Yet without ozone in the atmosphere, there could be no life as we know it on Earth. There are many products that contain chemicals that destroy ozone: refrigeration, air conditioning, foam blowing, and many solvents used to clean electronics components. Halon-based fire extinguishers also destroy ozone.
The ozone layer is a complex protective layer in our atmosphere, located in the stratosphere. Most of the ozone that protects us from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun resides about 6 to 10 miles above the surface. It can extend up to 30 miles up. Ozone is actually very rare and there are only about three ozone molecules to every 10 million air molecules. Yet without ozone in the atmosphere, there could be no life as we know it on Earth. There are many products that contain chemicals that destroy ozone: refrigeration, air conditioning, foam blowing, and many solvents used to clean electronics components. Halon-based fire extinguishers also destroy ozone.
Some products that may not contain any ozone-destroying chemicals may contain volatile organic compounds that, when released into the atmosphere, can cause photochemical smog. In the U.S. alone, 1,800 tons of ozone destroying chemicals are released into the atmosphere every day. It takes 50 years for those chemicals to get to the ozone layer. Even if we stopped producing them today, we have already left a lasting legacy for future generations.
Biodegradable
Probably no term has been as misunderstood as this one. To decompose, most materials must be in contact with the elements sunlight, air, wind and water. Since most trash is disposed of in a landfill, cut off from the elements, this claim is quite deceptive. Landfills that are 150 years old have been uncovered and the newspapers in them are still readable.
Probably no term has been as misunderstood as this one. To decompose, most materials must be in contact with the elements sunlight, air, wind and water. Since most trash is disposed of in a landfill, cut off from the elements, this claim is quite deceptive. Landfills that are 150 years old have been uncovered and the newspapers in them are still readable.
Phosphate free
Phosphates are organic compounds that create problems when they reach bodies of water. Algae feed on them, creating huge populations called algae blooms that can use all the oxygen in a lake or stream, killing other organisms. Many cleaners that are phosphate-free still contain other harmful chemicals.
Phosphates are organic compounds that create problems when they reach bodies of water. Algae feed on them, creating huge populations called algae blooms that can use all the oxygen in a lake or stream, killing other organisms. Many cleaners that are phosphate-free still contain other harmful chemicals.
Organic
Organic farmers are allowed to use a genetically altered bacteria on their crops to control insects. Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) has been considered harmless to humans, but in 1998, French doctors discovered that a sub-type of the Bt bacterium caused a serious infection in a soldier wounded in Bosnia. Another researcher found that the bacterium weakened immune systems in mice and destroyed the walls of blood cells.
Organic farmers are allowed to use a genetically altered bacteria on their crops to control insects. Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) has been considered harmless to humans, but in 1998, French doctors discovered that a sub-type of the Bt bacterium caused a serious infection in a soldier wounded in Bosnia. Another researcher found that the bacterium weakened immune systems in mice and destroyed the walls of blood cells.
Non-toxic
This is an overused and misleading term. Unless you are told the circumstances under which the product is non-toxic, you know very little. The most environmentally sensitive cleaner I have found, made by a very reputable company, still carries the warning, "Caution: eye irritant, harmful if swallowed, keep out of reach of children, contact a physician immediately." A "natural citrus" cleaner that claims to be biodegradable and cruelty free has a warning label that takes up half the back of the bottle.
This is an overused and misleading term. Unless you are told the circumstances under which the product is non-toxic, you know very little. The most environmentally sensitive cleaner I have found, made by a very reputable company, still carries the warning, "Caution: eye irritant, harmful if swallowed, keep out of reach of children, contact a physician immediately." A "natural citrus" cleaner that claims to be biodegradable and cruelty free has a warning label that takes up half the back of the bottle.
Cruelty free
This term has become very challenging to interpret. The finished product itself may not have been tested on animals, but without doing some research, you really don't know if all the components of the product were also made without animal testing. Be wary when you see a label that says, "This finished product not tested on animals."
This term has become very challenging to interpret. The finished product itself may not have been tested on animals, but without doing some research, you really don't know if all the components of the product were also made without animal testing. Be wary when you see a label that says, "This finished product not tested on animals."
Unless you really understand the ingredients in the product, items that claim to be all natural, practically non-toxic, essentially non-toxic, Earth Smart and environmentally preferable may need closer examination. Ambiguous claims like these suggest that there may be more to the story.
The phrase "let the buyer beware" has never had more meaning than it does today. With the alternative health products industry earning billions of dollars for product manufacturers, more and more companies are interested in attracting the health and environment conscious consumer.
Many Seattle companies are doing their part to end the confusion and we will examine them next.
For more info:
- See a review of the FTC environmental marketing guides by attorney Trisha Sadd.
- See the official Green Marketing Regulations at Business.gov.
If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in my other articles:Why the tide has turned to green business.Green hotels.
Organic food business is booming.Green building materials for your home.Learn about One Million Acts of Green.Supporting zero emission energy generators can reduce carbon emissions. .jpg){kind=small}
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