Ananda Mahony
NaomiGreen (and Pink) is the new Black!
September 15th 2008 07:43
THE NEW BLACK
Walk down the personal care isle of the supermarket isles and you might see 3 or 4 hair products with “organic” or “natural” ingredients or branded with an organic sounding name. Take a closer look at the label and you will soon realize that underneath the feel good name these products are still made of synthetic cleansers, include artificial fragrances and are chock full of preservatives. True to label claim there may be ˝ a percent of an organic essential oil or herbal extract but is this what we really expect as consumers when we read “organic” or “natural” on the label of a product? Practices such as these are known as greenwashing. To be more specific, when a company or organization misleads consumers by claiming have green practices or sell green products without actually having any or limited basis for this claim, this is known as greenwashing.
From a consumer perspective, green is the new black. Companies are jumping on the green bandwagon in an effort to appear more ecologically sound and in many instances, those behind the marketing claims really are making an effort to minimize their impact on the environment. However, in other cases, it is all just a marketing ploy to get consumers on side. In skincare, the issue becomes even more blurred and there are many companies taking advantage of an industry-wide lack of clarity. In the skincare industry Greenwashing can occur in a number of different ways.
1. Using a single environmental claim suggesting that the product is greener than it actually is eg. A shampoo that claims to contain no Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS) but uses alternative foaming agents such as Ammonium Laurel Sulphate, which have the same risks associated with their use.
2. Having no proof – for example personal care products that claim to that they are "fair trade" without any certification or evidence. Whiel the certificatio nmay not necessarily be on the lable, upon request from the manufacturer or supplier you should receive evidence of fair trade status.
3. Lack of definition – using terms such as "green" or "natural" without actually outlining what that means. Australia has no set guidelines here, so there is alot of confusion as to what is considered "natural skin care". Again if in doubt, ask the manufacturer or supplier what their guidelines are for making a "natural" label claim.
4. Make "green" claims that are irrelevant. The claim might be truthful, but is also unimportant, eg CFC-free shaving creams. Given that the use of CFC (cholorflurocarbons) has been banned for some time, this claims is considered irrelevant.
5. Outright fibbing about a "green" claim, eg. A product that claims to be "certified organic" when there is no such certification. In many cases the claim isn't so blatant. eg. A certain well known company offers 'a truly organic experience', but also uses SLS, propylene glycol and D&C red dyes in their products, which are not organic. This in not to say that the product doesn't include some organic ingredients but to the consumer, the assumption is that the product is truly organic. http://www.terrachoice.com.au.
Walk down the personal care isle of the supermarket isles and you might see 3 or 4 hair products with “organic” or “natural” ingredients or branded with an organic sounding name. Take a closer look at the label and you will soon realize that underneath the feel good name these products are still made of synthetic cleansers, include artificial fragrances and are chock full of preservatives. True to label claim there may be ˝ a percent of an organic essential oil or herbal extract but is this what we really expect as consumers when we read “organic” or “natural” on the label of a product? Practices such as these are known as greenwashing. To be more specific, when a company or organization misleads consumers by claiming have green practices or sell green products without actually having any or limited basis for this claim, this is known as greenwashing.
From a consumer perspective, green is the new black. Companies are jumping on the green bandwagon in an effort to appear more ecologically sound and in many instances, those behind the marketing claims really are making an effort to minimize their impact on the environment. However, in other cases, it is all just a marketing ploy to get consumers on side. In skincare, the issue becomes even more blurred and there are many companies taking advantage of an industry-wide lack of clarity. In the skincare industry Greenwashing can occur in a number of different ways.
1. Using a single environmental claim suggesting that the product is greener than it actually is eg. A shampoo that claims to contain no Sodium Laurel Sulphate (SLS) but uses alternative foaming agents such as Ammonium Laurel Sulphate, which have the same risks associated with their use.
2. Having no proof – for example personal care products that claim to that they are "fair trade" without any certification or evidence. Whiel the certificatio nmay not necessarily be on the lable, upon request from the manufacturer or supplier you should receive evidence of fair trade status.
3. Lack of definition – using terms such as "green" or "natural" without actually outlining what that means. Australia has no set guidelines here, so there is alot of confusion as to what is considered "natural skin care". Again if in doubt, ask the manufacturer or supplier what their guidelines are for making a "natural" label claim.
4. Make "green" claims that are irrelevant. The claim might be truthful, but is also unimportant, eg CFC-free shaving creams. Given that the use of CFC (cholorflurocarbons) has been banned for some time, this claims is considered irrelevant.
5. Outright fibbing about a "green" claim, eg. A product that claims to be "certified organic" when there is no such certification. In many cases the claim isn't so blatant. eg. A certain well known company offers 'a truly organic experience', but also uses SLS, propylene glycol and D&C red dyes in their products, which are not organic. This in not to say that the product doesn't include some organic ingredients but to the consumer, the assumption is that the product is truly organic. http://www.terrachoice.com.au.
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