Skepticism is on the rise, but marketers continue to play dirty

People have good reason to be skeptical. The TerraChoice study found that 95% of products claiming to be green commit one or more of the seven “sins of greenwashing,” which include vagueness (such as using the term “all natural”) or irrelevance (for example, “CFC-free,” a frequent claim despite the fact that CFCs are banned by law).

“The majority of green-labelled products are stretching the truth in some way or another when it comes to their claims,” says Adria Vasil, a green living expert and author of three best-selling books—Ecoholic, Ecoholic Home and Ecoholic Body— which guide readers on environmentally friendly products. “That doesn’t mean all those products are environmental menaces, but it does create a weariness in consumers who aren’t sure what to believe or whether to invest the extra dollar or $10 the greener product may cost them. Because of that, we’ve also seen greenwashed claims level off a little… but it’s still far too pervasive.”

Read the full article by Rebecca Harris in Marketing Magazine: Greenwashing: Cleaning up by 'saving the world'