The “Six Sins of GreenwashingTM”

This post is a divulgation of the TerraChoice study: The “Six Sins of GreenwashingTM” - A Study of Environmental Claims in North American Consumer Markets.

Overview (Adapted from http://www.terrachoice.com/files/6_sins.pdf)

The recent surge of environmental awareness in North America is unmistakable. It has been documented by many researchers and widely reported in the popular press. The rise in “green” marketing claims has also been well documented. Less studied is the apparent increase in “greenwashing” – false or misleading green marketing claims.

In an effort to describe, understand, and quantify the growth of greenwashing, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. conducted a survey of six category-leading big box stores. Through these surveys, 1,018 consumer products were identified bearing 1,753 environmental claims. Of the 1,018 products examined, all but one made claims that are demonstrably false or that risk misleading intended audiences.

Based on the survey results, six patterns were identified in the greenwashing, which are recognized in this study as the “Six Sins of GreenwashingTM”.

Download: The Six Sins of GreenwashingTM