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Greenwashing
The Smart Consumer Understands Greenwashing
What it means
- Greenwashing is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Environmentalists often use greenwashing to describe the actions of energy companies, which are traditionally the largest polluters.
The term
Green sheen
has similarly been used to describe organizations that appear as though they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment, but are in fact not substantially altering their environmental impacts. The term came into use around 1990. It is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being
green
(that is, operating with consideration for the environment), rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices.
How it affects you
- Greenwashing may be accomplished by simply changing the name or label of a product, to give the feeling of nature, without actually changing the product itself. For example, putting an image of a forest on a bottle of harmful chemicals.
How you can avoid it
- You should read carefully the ingredients on the back of the bottle or package to see if harmful ingredients are listed. An even better strategy is to check the manufacturer’s website for more information and, when in doubt, contact them to ask questions directly.