Beware of green washing

 Beware of green washing

By Morgan Zenner

 

We all would like to think that we know when we are being lied to by big corporations and marketers; however, these groups are getting smarter, especially when it comes to the green building industry. Regardless of what industry it is, there is profitability for companies who display a certain amount of environmental consciousness. As professionals, you need to know how to separate fact from fiction when it comes to being green.

 

Greenwashing is attributing a service, process or product as having “environmental virtue” when in reality it does not or not entirely. Where the issue gets hazy is when companies overexaggerate the green aspects of a product and underestimate or hide aspects that are less environmentally friendly.

 

There’s a lot of greenwashing going on in the remodeling industry as more companies are appealing to homeowners who want to go green. TerraChoice Environmental Marketing has trademarked Six Sins of Greenwashing:

 

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-off

2. Sin of No Proof

3. Sin of Vagueness

4. Sin of Irrelevance

5. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils

6. Sin of Fibbing

 

Here’s how they apply to the remodeling industry:

 

Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: This is the most common greenwashing technique, where companies advertise a narrow portion of a product that is green, while the energy consumed to make that product actually proves otherwise when looking at the big picture. For example, insulation often is advertised for its indoor air quality benefits but does not reveal high-energy manufacturing processes used to make it.

 

Sin of No Proof: Certifications such as EnergyStar or LEED certifications are put into place to avoid this misunderstanding. The organizations that provide green certifications are be considered a reliable third party (no influential biases) to confirm a product’s environmental clout.

 

Sin of Vagueness: A claim is purposefully confusing or lacking true definition. In this case, either a claim is not defined because no definition exists and it is meaningless, or it is confusing to the point where no one understands what it means. For example, if a product says “made from recycled content” but does not specify what percent of the product is recycled, then it has no meaning. Most would not consider a product made with 1 percent recycled content to be a green product.

 

Sin of Irrelevance: Describes green claims that have no relation to the product being purchased. This only works in situations where a harmful environmental or health risk is widely known to the general population and the contents of a product are not general knowledge. For example, “All-natural fiberglass insulation” is irrelevant because nothing about fiberglass is natural, but it sure sounds more appealing than unnatural fiberglass.

 

Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: When something innately harmful is marketed for being eco-friendly. Insecticides are chemicals used to kill bugs and are harmful for pets and humans, but the fact that they are natural or sustainable doesn’t excuse its main purpose.

 

Sin of Fibbing: This really needs no explanation. Some marketers go so far as claim a product is environmentally friendly when it has no sustainability factor whatsoever. This is most apparent when companies claim certification by something that doesn’t exist. If you have never heard of it, then there is probably no such thing. Sometimes the certifications do exist, and they are misrepresented on the product label.

 

Now that you know the signs of greenwashing, the best fraud detector is your intuition. If it sounds weird, then it probably is, and there is nothing wrong confirming a product’s certifications before recommending it to your clients.