Understanding Greenwashing

I, too, was a victim of greenwashing for far too long. This is what you need to know.

Understanding Greenwashing:

According to Merriam-Webster, greenwashing is “the act or practice of making a product, policy, activity, etc. appear to be more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than it really is.” Greenwashing is a deceptive and, honestly, genius marketing tactic. These companies are misleading you into a sale based on a false premise that you’re buying cleaner and more sustainable products. There are vague laws and regulations in place to mitigate deceptive marketing, but they are very rarely enforced. This leaves the door wide open for greenwashing tactics by companies looking to turn a profit off of your desire for a healthier lifestyle. 

Why Companies Greenwash:

Money, baby! Companies want you to perceive a product or brand as something that aligns with your interests to increase your desire to purchase. Clean and sustainable living has been rapidly gaining traction in recent years. So companies are adjusting accordingly and putting out essentially the same product in a different package with a few minor differences to market a “clean alternative” to you. Some companies build their entire brand off of this customer niche, and although typically greenwashed, they do well with targeted marketing.

Laws and Regulatory Agencies:

This deserves its own paragraph because it really gets my panties in a wad. There is no legal definition for “non-toxic” and close to no regulation of the products using this claim. Greenwashed brands can claim to be non-toxic and actually write this on their products without any testing or formal system for certifying the product before it is on the market. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the government agency responsible for upholding companies to deceptive marketing standards. Despite the FTC publicly announcing that they have sent out over 700 warning letters a few years ago, there are only 13 “Penalties Concerning Substantiation” cases listed on their site since 1974. If a company is reported enough times for the FTC to take notice, the law says that they are permitted to use this claim, if they can prove that it is safe for humans and the environment. This is the kicker - the Code of Federal Regulations does not define “safe” in their law. Companies are also permitted to use their own research in their argument. I just want you to pay careful attention to the fact that if there are repercussions at all, it comes after the product has been on the market and the consumer takes notice.

How to Recognize Greenwashing:

In short, it is up to you to understand the products you are purchasing and the companies you’re purchasing from.

The goal of marketing is to misguide you into assuming a product is toxin-free without the company directly saying it, because that's a lie and a potential legal problem. They need you to sell yourself the product based on your own assumptions. As we discussed above, brands that do label themselves as “non-toxic” or “safe” can do so with low risk of legal enforcement by the FTC. 

Visual presentation is critical; the product needs to lure you in. Companies often use natural element imaging, neutral color schemes, and seem to really fancy the green-colored labeling to give the impression that the product is clean. This packaging also mimics products that are truly toxin-free, which makes the perfect disguise. Associating nature and light colors with a product gives the consumer (you) the perception that the product is more natural or sustainable than original versions or competitors. For example, white packaging. When you think of the color white, you think pure, clean, and fresh. Ingredient labels in green font give the portrayal that the ingredients are healthy, natural, or refreshing. Unfortunately, white packaging guarantees nothing about the contents of the product, and the green ingredient list is typically very similar to the black ingredient list on “toxic” products of the same kind. But do you see what happened there? The colors and themes brought you to your own conclusion that this product is cleaner than products in opposing packaging. It draws you directly to that product on the shelf.

Another “good” tactic- distraction with a positive initiative while ignoring numerous, negative impacts. Often, you will notice there is one big “do-gooder” selling point to which they’re drawing your attention. For example, “100% recycled materials.” This is perfectly placed for you to feel good about buying an eco-friendly and sustainable product. Again, the company didn’t say that; you did. And maybe they are using recycled materials, but what are they doing with the chemical waste and byproducts of processing that material? Probably not something very eco-friendly. 

Vague terms in big writing with no explanation are a homerun here. Like me, you have probably read “free & clear,” “eco-friendly,” or “safe for baby” and have not stopped to question it. If anything, it was what made you put it in the cart. But maybe you should question it. “Free & clear” of what exactly? What is their definition of safe? You’re left to draw your own conclusion that it means free and clear of harsh, toxic chemicals. Marketing mission accomplished.

How to Make an Informed Decision:

Vague terms, “natural” packaging, and a focus on one positive initiative - got it. So now you’re reading this thinking, “Kirstlyn, if toxic products are purposely made to mimic non-toxic products, then how do we know the difference?” I’m not going to lie to you; it can be difficult. 

1) Look for product certifications such as USDA Organic, GOTS, Oeko-Tex Organic or, at the least, Standard 100, Leaping Bunny, etc. You will often see EWG Certified, which is better than nothing, but still doesn’t hold much weight for me. Understand that these certifications are expensive to obtain, so smaller businesses may not be able to cover costs of these certifications. These small businesses may still follow organic processes and should provide more information when asked. However, a large corporation should have no excuse other than that it doesn’t qualify. 

2) Compare ingredients with similar products from that brand. For example, compare the “Free & Clear” with an original version of the product. 

3) Email companies and ask questions. Ask for sourcing, SDS, processing methods, and testing. If they’re not transparent, they’re suspicious. I don’t think I used my email for more than to sign up for a coupon code before diving into clean living. Now my inbox needs more storage. 

4) The most effective way to avoid greenwashing is to learn your ingredients. This is annoying and overwhelming. But you can’t be bamboozled into making a purchase based on visual perception if you can understand what is in it. I will go into more detail on how to learn about ingredients another time, but here are a few basic tips to get you started until then. Do not use google; use Brave or another private browser. For a quick, general idea, type in “(ingredient) derivative,” and this will tell you where it is sourced from. PubChem, research journals, and SDS sheets are great sources. Take a shot for every time that a petroleum byproduct is the answer. I’m kidding - please don’t do that; you’ll die. You don’t have to be a walking ingredient dictionary, just get familiar with a few big hitters. These are the ingredients that I started with: fragrance, potassium sorbate, polysorbate 80, polyethylene, and anything “ethoxyl.” If these are listed in the ingredients, put it back.

5) One last important thing to consider, non-toxic products are more expensive by nature, because quality ingredients are more expensive and harder to formulate. Yet, these companies have the ability to produce a non-toxic, eco-friendly, sustainable product at a similar cost to the original version or competitors. Why is that? They’re certainly not cutting you a deal here. They’re likely using toxic, cheap, synthetic ingredients. Let’s circle back - they can do this, because there is no legal definition of “safe” or “non-toxic.” Our idea of non-toxic is “absolutely no harm,” while I can only assume their idea of non-toxic is that it won’t cause immediate, serious, bodily injury if properly used. If they can talk their way out of it, they will do it. They are greenwashed, my friend.

Hopefully, this gives you a foundation to build on when it comes to recognizing greenwashing and making informed decisions about the products that you choose for your home. 

Thank you for supporting local and shopping small,

Kirstlyn

Rabbit Hole Creek

Sources:

Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/greenwashing

Code of Federal Regulations: eCFR :: 16 CFR 260.10 -- Non-toxic claims.

Federal Trade Commission: greenguides.pdf

Federal Trade Commission Penalties Concerning Substantiation: Penalty Offenses Concerning Substantiation | Federal Trade Commission