[OKC] From WSJ: Misleading Claims on 'Green' Labeling

[Miles, Karen]

Misleading Claims on 'Green' Labeling 


By GWENDOLYN BOUNDS
<http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=GWENDOLYN+BOUNDS&byline
search=true>  


Confused by all the "green" claims of products on store shelves out
there? There's good reason to be. 


According to a study due out Tuesday, more than 95% of consumer products
examined committed at least one offense of "greenwashing," a term used
to describe unproven environmental claims, according TerraChoice, a
North American environmental-marketing company that issued the report.

 While unsubstantiated claims of "green" attributes have declined
slightly in recent years, the problem is still widely prevalent as more
manufacturers flood the market with items deemed to be better for the
environment. Of particular concern: items proclaiming to be free of
controversial chemicals BPA and phthalates-especially baby and toy
products, according to the report.
The study examined more than 5,000 consumer products in 34 stores in the
U.S. and Canada and found 12,061 "green" claims among them. Among the
infractions found: fibbing about or having no proof of environmental
claims, vague or poorly defined marketing language, such as
"all-natural," and the use of fake labels designed to imply a product
has third-party certification or endorsement of its claims.
"The scary thing is that manufacturers are not providing independent
proof of these claims," says Scot Case, a market-development director
for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. "The same verification we expect from
accounting records, we should expect from BPA claims." TerraChoice was
recently acquired by Underwriters Laboratories, an independent
product-safety certification organization. Both TerraChoice and
Underwriters Laboratories offer green-certification programs and could
benefit if more manufacturers seek third-party verification of the
eco-claims.
Article continues at: 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230346700457557452171008241
4.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA
 
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