Eco-friendly Promos

The seven deadly sins are so last millennium. So what should you look out for in eco-friendly times? According to green marketing expert Terra Choice, the six sins of greenwashing! The new wave towards ecologically aware marketing has produced tons of fakers. When shopping for green products, here are some king-pins of green sin to be aware of:

1. Hidden Trade-Off: When a company markets one sustainable aspect to a product that actually comes at a negative impact for another.

2. No Proof: Always check for certification of claims. A surprising amount of products get by without offering it.

3. Vagueness: A lot of meaningless terms are swirling around out there. “Natural”, “Eco-friendly”, “Non-toxic”, “Chemical-free”, and other terms should all be explained by the company or they don’t mean anything. Call the numbers you see on packaging to inquire. Be persistant!

4. Irrelevance: Don’t be fooled by claims you don’t understand. The most common? “CFC Free!” Some products don’t even have CFC anyways…It’s like if a computer claimed to be water-efficient.

5. Fibbing: Some companies blatantly lie..Legitimate certification programs can help. Do some research (google!) on certification programs for the products you’re looking at.

6. Lesser of Two Evils: This “sin” I kind of don’t agree with. Yes, some products aren’t as “green” as they could be but I think it’s better to put in some effort than nothing at all.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by this list but remember: practice makes perfect. Invest in proper green habits and it’ll repay you and the world for the rest of your life! Don’t be intimidated- a little goes a long way.