Getting the spin on greenwash
A tipsheet by Katie Coleman, graduate assistant and editor of EJ Magazine, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. (This tipsheet was gleaned from the 2006 Society of Environmental Journalists national conference.)
Download a printable version of this tipsheet
Journalists can teach readers to navigate the murky world of greenwashing sticker spin. Consider:
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Some advertising schemes create unnecessary fear by overstating the environmental benefits of products that only do some good. Manufacturers of formaldehyde-free wood products used images of other famous formaldehyde uses - frog dissection and corpse preservation - to illustrate their products’ safety. But the implication that formaldehyde treated wood is extremely lethal is untrue, says Andrea Levine, a divisional director of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
Tip: Investigate the claims of products advertised as environmentally friendly.
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The term “organic” can be used on any label so long as there are no official standards or regulations for that product. So while the term has been regulated for food, it is meaningless on other products such as cosmetics, household cleaners and other personal care items, says Urashi Rangan, senior scientist and policy analyst with Consumers Union.
Story Idea: Compare and contrast the ingredients in products that claim to be organic and those that don’t. Is Simple Green any better than 409?
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For meat products to be labeled “organic” in the U.S., the USDA requires livestock to have access to pasture. But because there’s no definition of “access to pasture” or even of “pasture”, the rule is meaningless, says Nicole Dehne, certification administrator, Northeast Organic Farming Association, Vermont chapter.
Tip: See if your state’s organic rules have more stringent guidelines.
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Terms unregulated by the federal government, according to Jeffrey Hollender, CEO of 7th Generation - a manufacturer of goods that claim to fit many of these descriptions - include biodegradable (the FTC has issued general guidelines on how the term should be used, but it does not enforce them), chlorine-free, environmentally friendly, environmentally safe, fair trade, free & clear, fragrance free, green, hypoallergenic, natural (unregulated in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products), non-toxic (“toxic” is defined by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, so some assume that “non-toxic” is the opposite), organic (unregulated in cosmetics, personal care and cleaning products, except for in California), recycled (the FTC has issued general guidelines on how the term should be used, but it does not enforce them), sustainable, sustainable forestry (there are two competing standards not enforced by any government body), vegetable derived.
Tip: Run that list as a sidebar to any story about the legitimacy of green labeling.
