“I’M WORRIED ABOUT GREENWASHING. I THINK WE SHOULD COME DOWN ON IT VERY, VERY HARD, WHETHER IS WITH CRIMINAL INTENT OR ACTIVELY DECEPTIVE”
John Elkington
As consumers, we buy multiple products as we shop, some may be necessary and others bought on a whim but we don’t necessarily think about their environmental impact. I have been hunting for shampoos recently and have tried as many as possible, but I forgot one crucial thing. The thing I forgot was, how do I know that the products I am buying are as environmentally friendly as they like to promote themselves?
Greenwashing
The Oxford English dictionary defines ‘greenwash’ as:
“Misleading publicity or propaganda disseminated by an organization, etc., so as to present an environmentally responsible public image; a public image of environmental responsibility promulgated by or for an organization, etc., regarded as being unfounded or intentionally misleading”.
To unsuspecting consumers who put their trust in companies, it is the duty of the companies to provide products that are sustainable if that is what they claim. Governments acknowledge this problem and have created laws to keep companies from passing off misleading labels on their products.
Regarding what is implied when the term ‘misleading labels’ is used; “this product is biodegradable” with no further explanation. This is misleading because the consumer does not know how long the material will take to biodegrade, is it a few months? A year? Maybe a decade? Are all the materials within the product biodegradable? These are the questions that need to be raised if a product declares to be biodegradable.
As I venture through learning how to decipher whether the products I buy are eco-friendly or not, I’ve come to the realization that greenwashing is common and that the products I believe to be eco-friendly are anything but.
One such instance would be Starbucks, who in 2018 released their product “straw-less lid”. This product was meant to get rid of the plastic straws as the name implies. These lids are not as sustainable as they claim as they are made of more plastic than the previous straw and lid combined. The new lids are made from polypropylene which is a plastic that is least likely to be recycled, less than 1 percent is recovered after use by consumers. Plastics like Polypropylene like other thermoplastics are more likely to end up in landfills, polypropylene products take around 20–30 years to decompose as they biodegrade slowly.
So the question is how are we supposed to find out if products we buy are sustainable?
- research
- look for certifications you trust
Certifications
Certifications have been made for this reason. We need to look for ways to hold companies accountable for the products they release and claim as eco-friendly, companies still have a long way to go.
Certifications have been made for many different fields. We have certifications for buildings, clothing and textiles, companies, food, beverages, self-care products, furniture, and more. These certifications are done by third parties who are able to verify companies are meeting certain goals. Governments have also created policies for mitigating the problem with greenwashing so that companies are held accountable for what they say.
Here are 10 certifications (among many) to keep in mind for various fields:
Certifies: Business (companies/organizations)
Currently 4,641 companies within 155 industries have been certified by the B certification Corporation. The goal of the certificate is to make sure companies are meeting the ‘high standards’ that have been set by the B certification Corporation. There are 2 things a company must do/have in order to achieve the certificate.
a) Do a risk review in which they receive a score of 80 on their B Impact Assessment this is also the case for multinational corporations.
b) Companies/organizations make a legal commitment they should be held accountable for their practices and if possible attain a benefit corporation status, should that be available in their region
Businesses should be transparent and make sure they give the appropriate information to be measured by the B Lab’s to ensure they are meeting all the standards set out for them to fulfill the B certification.
2. Global Organic Textile Standard
Certifies: Entire Textile Supply Chain (Processing and Trade)
GOTS works to make sure that from start to finish the supply chain is meeting the requirements that have been set by annual on-site inspection as well as holding a valid certification will allow the final products to be certified by GOTS.
3. LEED
Certifies: Buildings
LEED endeavors to help the industry leaders create buildings that help the environment through green materials, reducing carbon emissions, saving water, and more. LEED also strives to also make sure that the buildings are safe healthwise by improving indoor and outdoor air quality.
In order to attain a LEED certification projects must address the following prerequisites:
a) Carbon
b) Energy
c) Water
d)Waste
e)Transportation
f)Materials
g) Health
h) Indoor Air Quality
The process of certifications starts with GBCI (Global Business Certification Inc.) and then points are awarded and given to LEED which ranks the level of the Certifications. There are 4 levels Platinum (80+ points), Gold (60–79 points), Silver (50–59points), Certified (40–49 points).
Certifies : Wide-range of Products (from leadings brands, retailers, designers and manufacturers)
Cradle to Cradle works to ensure that products are created in a sustainable manner. Ways in which a product or material can be certified is:
a)Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard
b)Material Health Certificate
Certifies: Products or Ingredients (from farms and forests)
The Rain Forest Alliance certificate “promotes collective action for people and nature”. The certifications look at how the agricultural products are grown, how the wood for forestry products such as paper and boxes made for packaging are harvested. Certification can even be achieved by Tourism business should they meet the requirements for the sustainable Tourism standard. The certifications also makes sure to look at the human rights of the workers are meet through a multitude of categories such as gender equality, child labour, working conditions and more. The Rain Forest Alliance also looks at the environment of the locations in which the products are made so that they can be used sustainably and not impact our environment in a negative way.
Certifies: Organic Products (Food for consumption by people)
The Canadian Organic Regime certifies products that are organic through the Canadian Organic Standards when products are labeled as organic and display the Canadian Organic Logo. The certification process is done through a certification body who are authorized by Conformity Verification Bodies and they have been appointed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to take part. The process will vary depending on three factors: operation, product, and region.
Certifies: Businesses
Carbon Neutral works with businesses who want to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce their emissions. To achieve this, businesses are given a strict and transparent framework to help their business and projects achieve carbon neutrality. This is done in 5 steps:
a) Define — If a product/service or activity or whole company needs to be looked at to achieve carbon neutrality.
b) Measure — Collecting data and calculating business emissions with independent emissions assessment providers.
c)Target — Business work on achieving net zero emissions.
d) Reduce — Businesses work with carbon neutral to target areas in which carbon neutrality can be achieved.
e) Communicate — Carbon Neutral gives information to stakeholders, and equipped them with the necessary tools to to achieve their goals.
What is Certifies: Cosmetics
Currently certifies 2162 brands and has been around since 1996. Leaping bunny wants to ensure consumers who are looking for cruelty-free or products that are not tested by animals are finding brands they can trust to deliver just that. To acquire a Leaping Bunny certification, companies must follow a rigorous standard in which they do not have any products that are animal tested, even the ingredients used are looked at to make sure that no animals were tested on.
Certifies: Food, Clothing (cotton), Tea, Sugar and more
Fair Trade’s objective is to ensure that products consumers buy is from companies that make sure their workers and farmers are treated well in terms of better working conditions and no child labour. Fair Trade also helps businesses do better with their prices, their environmental impact, and business relationships. Fair Trade works with the producers as well as the workers.
10. USDA Organic
Certifies: Food, textiles, and self-care products
USDA Organic Certification is given to companies that follow the standards set by USDA Organic regulation. Once companies are certified, they will be able to sell, label, and represent their products as organic.
11. TRUE
Certifies: Businesses, Property Managers, Schools, Government Agencies, and Nonprofits
TRUE Zero Waste Certification objective is to change the direction of which our solid waste goes, incineration (waste-to-energy), and to help the environment. In order for companies to receive the certification, they must meet the 7 minimum program requirements. One of which is that they have a zero waste policy in place.
Final Thoughts
Although, I have much more research to do when trying to find a shampoo that is certified and is more sustainable than the ones I used to get. I’ve tried about a dozen shampoos without knowing about certifications so my goal now is to find which shampoos are certified and go from there. There are plenty of certifications which have the same end goal of sustainable production so the chance of finding a sustainable shampoo will be likely!
And now a little extra work for you as I love videos, here is a Youtuber who makes amazing videos and tries to live a sustainable life. In this particular video, she talks about how she tells if brands are greenwashing. I definitely recommend others to watch it as it is very helpful and her perspective can add to yours!
Happy watching!
B Lab Global Site. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/
baytek, D. by. (2021, March 17). What is Fairtrade? Fairtrade Canada. Retrieved from https://fairtrade.ca/what-is-fairtrade/#what
Davis, O. (2019, September 5). Starbucks’ new strawless lids are not a win for the environment. The Crimson White. Retrieved from https://cw.ua.edu/52900/opinion/starbucks-new-strawless-lids-are-not-a-win-for-the-environment/
Discover the story of Englishmore than 600,000 words, over a thousand years. Home : Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oed.com/
How a company becomes Carbon Neutral Certified: Carbonneutral, a service of Natural Capital Partners. Carbon Neutral. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://carbonneutral.com/how
LeBlanc, R. (2019, May 9). Polypropylene recycling — an introduction. The Balance Small Business. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/an-overview-of-polypropylene-recycling-2877863
LEED rating system. LEED rating system | U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.usgbc.org/leed
Organic certification and accreditation. Organic Certification and Accreditation | Agricultural Marketing Service. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/organic-certification
Organic certification. Canada Organic Trade Association. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://canada-organic.ca/en/what-we-do/organic-101/organic-certification
Seitenwerkstatt, D. (n.d.). The certification of Organic Textiles — Gots. Global Organic Textile Standard. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://global-standard.org/certification-and-labelling/certification#certificates
The corporate standard of Compassion For Animals (“The standard”). Leaping Bunny. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.leapingbunny.org/about/corporate-standard-compassion-animals-standard
True program for Zero waste certification. TRUE. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://true.gbci.org/true-program-zero-waste-certification
Vartan, S. (2021, November 12). Everything you need to know about sustainable certifications. Treehugger. Retrieved from https://www.treehugger.com/the-treehugger-guide-to-sustainable-certifications-5119483
What does “Rainforest alliance certified” mean? Rainforest Alliance. (2020, October 28). Retrieved from https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/what-does-rainforest-alliance-certified-mean/
What is Cradle to Cradle Certified®? — get certified — cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.c2ccertified.org/get-certified/product-certification
