How Can I Tell When A Product Is Being Greenwashed?

Sure, some people want to buy environmentally friendly products, and that’s great. The problem is that marketers understand these impulses well, and want to take advantage of them without always offering products that live up to the claims. What to do? ShopSmart has some answers.

Fortunately, there are web sites that have done the research for you. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers tips for making sense of “green” marketing claims, and the FTC is even considering strengthening their Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides) to prevent companies from using eco-friendly claims to market products that aren’t the Eco-Labels Center from Consumer Reports also evaluates the claims made about supposedly planet-friendly products.

How to spot fake green claims [ShopSmart]
Sorting Out ‘Green’ Advertising Claims [Federal Trade Commission]
Greener Choices – Eco-Labels Center [Consumer Reports]

PREVIOUSLY:
Nearly all “Eco” Product Claims Are Misleading

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