Avoid Green-washing
Individuals and companies alike are competing for their place in today’s Green marketplace. With sustainability at the forefront of everyone’s mind, the greener you are the more green you are likely to see. How is it then that we decipher who is truly “green”? Some companies make big claims of their eco-minded business practices, yet with a closer glance we discover that they over promise and under deliver. This is commonly referred to as Green-washing. By definition green-washing is “misleading consumers about the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.” As a practice green-washing is becoming ever more present, being well-intended consumers we need to do our due diligence to avoid such false assertions. A common green-washing scheme occurs when a business over emphasizes their day to day implementation of eco-friendly business practices. For example, any office can throw a recycling label on an empty bin, empty every so often and boast about their in office recycling program. A good safe guard against these types of misleading claims is to inquire about the company’s programs. When considering a company ask questions such as; in what ways are you green, how do your green programs work, what organizations help to support your practices (i.e. what recycling company is being utilized). Any true Green business has the third party references to authenticate their commitment to sustainability. I can say first hand as a legitimate green business owner, I am proud to provide anyone inquiring with all of our information.